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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24364516">Geeks, Rednecks and Koreans... OH, My!</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/FutagoNoAkumaShimai/pseuds/FutagoNoAkumaShimai'>FutagoNoAkumaShimai</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Ripple Effect [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Walking Dead (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Accidental Baby Acquisition, Accidental Child Acquisition, Awkward Glenn Rhee, Camping, Canonical Child Abuse, Converted Sprinter Van, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, De-Aged Character(s), Death, Explicit Language, F/M, Glenn's Sisters, Graphic Description on how to skin and gut an animal, Hawiian Characters, Horticultre, Hunting, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Korean-American Character, Merle Dixon Served in the Army, Merle's got a Potty Mouth, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Prepper, Protective Daryl Dixon, Protective Glenn Rhee, Protective Merle Dixon, Shane Walsh Being an Asshole, Slow Burn Relationship, Slow Romance, Walkers, Younger Daryl Dixon, Younger Merle Dixon, Zombies, campervan, discussion of suicide, herbal remedies, mentions of depression, some racist slurs (Merle's fault)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 10:32:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>49,236</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24364516</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/FutagoNoAkumaShimai/pseuds/FutagoNoAkumaShimai</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Marie was a bit too old to run away from her problems, still, she would forever thank whoever it was responsible for making the world work, that she'd driven down to be with her brother when THE END happened. Glenn would have been all alone in this cruel new world otherwise. The Dixon brothers were an equally unexpected surprise... though probably not as big as actually growing fond of the burly men.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Daryl Dixon/Marie Rhee, Daryl Dixon/Original Female Character(s), Glenn Rhee &amp; Daryl Dixon &amp; Merle Dixon, Original Female Characrer &amp; Daryl Dixon, Original Female Character &amp; Glenn Rhee, Original Female Character &amp; Merle Dixon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Ripple Effect [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1759159</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>204</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>255</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Pre-Infected 3 Days</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"This place is disgusting." Marie grumbled as she started throwing takeaway containers into the trashcan, "How can a place so tiny be sooo messy?"</p><p>Her brother chuckled uneasily as he moved the trash can closer to where Marie was crouching, "I-Well I wasn't exactly expecting company, Marie. I mean- why are you even here?"</p><p>She glared up at her older brother, "Why? Aren't you happy to see me?"</p><p>The twenty-five-year-old sighed, "You know that's not what I mean, Marie."</p><p>Marie turned away from Glenn and stood up before stretching, "Dad's pissed at me."</p><p>"Why?"</p><p>"The same reason he's pissed at you."</p><p>That was an understatement. Their dad had never really been good at holding in his temper, not that he ever really got physical with any of them but his mouth often got away from him. He was an expert at making you feel like absolute shit with only his words. That was something Marie hadn't missed during high school since she'd been living with their grandparents in Daranengi (a village near the town of Namhae in South Korea) at that time until a year after she graduated and moved back to the states to go to college. Now that Glenn's small kitchen was free from old takeaway and instant ramen containers it looked somewhat decent. Though she wouldn't call it done. Marie started handwashing the dirty plates in the sink before placing the clean ones in the drying rack.</p><p>"You told him that you... wouldn't do engineering?" Glenn guessed sarcastically.</p><p>"No." Marie sighed, "He found out that I changed my major from horticulture to philosophy."</p><p>"Oh," Glenn murmured as he hissed under his breath, "Yeah... that would do it."</p><p>"I mean it's not like I lost interest in horticulture..." Marie grumbled, "I just like philosophy <em>more</em>. Besides, I'm not dropping it entirely. I took enough classes to get a degree in the subject... it's just not my passion."</p><p>"Hey, you're not going to get any complaints from me." Glenn snorted, "I mean dad still won't talk to me and it's been what three years?"</p><p>"Yeah." Marie agreed, "But that's mostly because you're brilliant with computer science and all of that hacking shit that goes right over my head... but you dropped out of school and refuse to go back."</p><p>Glenn leaned against the counter tiredly, the florescent lighting illuminating his pizza-boy uniform-clad physique, "College... just wasn't for me."</p><p>"So you said." Marie nodded, "Though, with your skills couldn't you just hack some money into your ATM account instead of working as a delivery guy?"</p><p>"Ha. Ha. Ha." he laughed sarcastically, "Very funny... If only it wasn't, I don't know, <em>illegal</em>."</p><p>Marie shot him a coy smirk, "Yeah, if <em>only</em>."</p><p>"So..." Glenn started somewhat nervously, "How long are you going to hide out here?"</p><p>A shaky sigh escaped from her lips, "As long as you'll have me."</p><p>"It was pretty bad, wasn't it?" he asked softly.</p><p>"Yup." Marie nodded, "He said he wasn't gonna help pay for schooling anymore... In fact, Dad wants me to pay back 'every cent' he's spent on me so far."</p><p>Glenn let out a low whistle, "Shit. What about mom? What'd she say?"</p><p>"Mom..." she hesitated before stating in a softer voice, "<em>Opted</em> out of intervening."</p><p>Her brother winced, "I thought <em>that</em> was getting better?"</p><p>"Yeah, um, no. After Hana sent her wedding invitations last week, well..."</p><p>"Shit... um, yeah. I can see why <em>that</em> would have thrown her off the wagon."</p><p>Their eldest sister Hana would have been the perfect golden child in the apple of their parent eyes if it weren't for one not-so-tiny detail. Hana was one of the proudest lesbians Marie had ever had the pleasure to know. The twenty-eight-year-old was a successful pediatrician in Michigan and had been in a longterm relationship with her girlfriend Samantha Davis, who worked as a delivery room nurse in the same hospital, for a couple of years now. Their parents had been absolutely horrified when Hana 'came out' of the closet when Marie was thirteen, Hana had been seventeen then and Marie's personal hero. That was probably the reason why her parents had been so pushy and eventually decided to send Marie to live with her maternal grandparents in the countryside of South Korea where her mother had grown up. Despite all of the distance between the sisters their bond had never broken and only gotten stronger. The same went with Glenn who had actually been pretty upset when Marie was forced to leave. Her big brother spent every school holiday in Daranengi with Marie, not caring if that meant that they would both have to help out in the rice paddies instead of hanging out at malls or at arcades like normal teenagers.</p><p>It's needless to say that her parents did not handle having a homosexual child well. Their mom turned to her trusted pharmaceuticals and a nice glass of red wine in the evenings to help her forget the 'embarrassment' while their dad became even more intense and unforgiving about what he believed to be the right thing or path for his children to follow. In hindsight, Hana was pretty amazing in how she handled the whole thing. Her big sister hadn't crumbled under the pressure of their parents, instead, Hana had studied hard and had gotten various scholarships before putting herself through med school since mom and dad refused to help her unless Hana renounced her 'deviant' ways.</p><p>It had taken years for their parents to even somewhat <em>grudgingly</em> accept their firstborn child, and that was <em>only</em> after Hana started making a name for herself in her field. That didn't mean that anything pertaining to Hana's preferences didn't make their hair raise on its ends. If anything, they both viciously started pretending that it didn't exist and their mother would occasionally try and introduce Hana to a 'nice boy' that she should date. Samantha proposing to her big sister hadn't really been a surprise to her or Glenn, the peppy ginger-haired woman had called them first to tell them of her intentions towards Hana since she knew that their parents weren't accepting of their lifestyle, but it had been a huge blow for their parents.</p><p>"Yup. Mom did <em>not</em> take that well... she actually fainted, Glenn!" Marie exclaimed in annoyance as she recalled that afternoon, "Dad was pretty quiet, though he did throw the invitation in the trash rather angrily a few minutes later."</p><p>Glenn nervously removed the baseball cap from his head and ran his fingers through his short black locks, "Does Hana know?"</p><p>Marie winced, "I-I, um, gave her a heads-up that the folks didn't take it... so <em>good</em>. Hana and Samantha expected it really... but you know her. I think she was a bit hurt anyway."</p><p>"Man, they can be such-such prejudiced dicks sometimes!" he growled out angrily. Marie nodded in agreement, it was something that bugged and angered all three of the Rhee siblings.</p><p>"I know." she hummed soothingly as turned the faucet off and dried her hands before deciding to change the subject, "Dad's friends in Administration tipped him off when I changed my major. He probably thought I would back off and change my mind when he gave me that ultimatum. He sure as hell didn't expect me to run off in the middle of the night with all my shit."</p><p>"That's <em>my</em> little sister." Glenn grinned proudly as he pulled her into a hug.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 1295<br/>~~~~~~~~<br/>At the end of every Chapter, where an Original Character is introduced I will add a picture of who inspired their looks! Lately, I tend not to really physically describe what my characters look like... mostly because we, us living breathing human beings, don't normally go around mentally describing ourselves unless we are looking at our own reflections in the mirror.<br/>___________<br/><br/>Actress Inspiring Marie Rhee: Moon Geun Young<br/>(I LOVE her acting and I thought that she looked a lot like what a female Glenn would look like!)<br/>___________<br/><br/>Image of Hana Rhee<br/>(Not sure who this model is... Let me know if you recognize her!)</p><p>~~~~~~<br/>First Fic I have posted on this site... I'm experimenting with the different formats!<br/>I have, as usual, created a Pinterest Board for my story (it helps me organize my thoughts and put faces to characters, locations, places, etc), right now it's private, however, I can make it public and post the link at the end of the next chapter... SO, let me know!<br/>I may start cross-posting some of my other work from Fanfiction.net here... (PenName: Futago no Akuma Shimai)<br/>LOL, we'll see! Let me know if you liked it!<br/></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. P-I 2 Days (pt1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Wait." Glenn blurted out an hour later, a few moments after Marie changed into her pajamas for the evening, "How <em>did</em> you get here?"</p><p>"What do you mean?" Marie asked pervasively as she started braiding her long hair.</p><p>A snort escaped from her brother's throat, "Airfare is expensive Marie, how much did you spend?"</p><p>"Oh." she hummed 'cluelessly' as her brother threw her an exasperated glare, "I didn't spend anything. I <em>drove</em>."</p><p>"Liar!" Glenn gasped out as a disbelieving expression bled onto his features, "You don't have a car!"</p><p>A wide -<em>almost</em> <em>manic</em>- grin stretched across her face, "Yes I <em>do</em>."</p><p>A full-body <em>twitch</em> coursed its way throughout his body, "There is <em>no way</em> you have a car, and the only one <em>I</em> drive is the Pizza Hut's car."</p><p>Marie went to sleep giggling while Glenn begged for the truth and more details until they both conked out.</p><p>"No fucking way!" Glenn crowed as they both expertly ignored any annoyed looks being shot at them from annoyed pedestrians -<em>one woman shot Glenn a particularly nasty look when her kid asked her what 'fucking' meant</em>- on the busy street.</p><p>"<em>Yes!"</em> Marie cackled as she internally compared his gob-smacked expression to the one that Hana had when she'd showed her the beautiful vehicle a week ago.</p><p>"You got <em>the</em> van!?"</p><p>"Yup!"</p><p>"An-And it's already been converted?"</p><p>"Hell yeah!"</p><p>Glenn squeaked out in awe, "Can we go in?"</p><p>"<em>Geureomyo</em>!" Marie agreed cheekily in Korean. Hana had requested the same thing, with a lot more dignity than their brother possessed in his pinky finger of course, before dragging an incredulous Samantha inside with them as Marie gave them a brief grand-tour.</p><p>Glenn gasped good-naturedly as Marie showed him around the small mobile home. The Mercedes Sprinter Van model had just come out two months ago, and it only took a week for it to be beautifully converted into the campervan her brother was now standing in today. She normally wouldn't <em>ever</em> have been able to even <em>dream</em> about affording the vamped out vehicle if it wasn't for the small stroke of fortune that she'd stumbled across. The first of which being that she, Marie Rhee, actually won the one hundred thousand dollars lottery at the end of December. Marie wasn't entirely sure how she hadn't spilled the beans to her siblings when she checked the cash prize and actually had it in her hands. In hindsight, she probably should have paid off all her student loans or at least put the money into a savings account for the future, but... when the newest model for the Sprinter vans came out in January she practically leaped for the chance to own her dream campervan. Her second stroke of good fortune was actually knowing and being friends with the man, Eric Lanon, who'd remodeled her grayish-brown van.</p><p>Eric had outfitted the vehicle with all of the modern fixtures and hadn't balked when she requested the solar panels on the roof, a working shower and bathroom area, nor the three pull out beds. The former six by twelve Uhaul trailer rigged up to the back of the van wasn't nearly as vamped out as the Sprinter but it hadn't been left alone either. The interior was a lot simpler. The floors and insulated walls had been finished and there were adjustable automatic lights on the ceiling and a singular outlet that was for a bigger cooler that was powered by the two solar panels on the roof. But otherwise, the trailer was only being used for storage and carrying around what didn't fit inside the van.</p><p>It was perfect. A week before Hana's wedding, Marie would pick up her sister and brother before they'd go on the epic road trip they had always dreamed of as kids. Glenn was practically vibrating as they plopped down on the couch and began running his fingers through his hair excitedly.</p><p>"How on <em>earth</em> did you afford this, Marie?" he gasped put before eyeing her warily, "You didn't <em>lift</em> this, did you?"</p><p>"Ha! That's funny coming from <em>you</em>!" Marie teased before smiling cheekily as she admitted the secret that she'd been keeping for the last five months, "I won the lotto! One hundred <em>thousand</em> dollars, Glenn!"</p><p>Her brother choked before weakly spitting out, "Wh-What?"</p><p>"I know!" Marie wiggled, "I know this sounds <em>crazy</em> but I spent pretty much all of the money on this van. I figured we could finally head out for the open road like we always wanted to!"</p><p>"I-I can't even... Wow!" Glenn murmured before looking at her incredulously, "You're insane. You <em>know</em> that right?"</p><p>A laugh peeled out of her lips, "Yup!"</p><p>"I guess it makes <em>sense</em> now how it easy it was for you to hightail it out of Michigan," Glenn admitted as he secured his baseball cap on his head before eyeing her warily as they hopped out of the van and locked it up, "I can only assume mom and dad don't know about this... Wait a minute- were <em>planning</em> on this happening?"</p><p>Marie shrugged her shoulders, "I wasn't <em>not</em> not planning this."</p><p>Glenn blinked his eyes rapidly as he mulled over what she'd just said, "You-You, I- just. I just give up."</p><p>He glared at her when she laughed, although honestly the glare wasn't powered by any <em>real</em> anger as he huffed and said he was heading out to work. Marie practically skipped as made her way back to Glenn's apartment as she vowed to give herself a nice lazy day to make up for all the driving she had to do the day before... well after she cleaned up Glenn's apartment a bit because her brother had certainly not gotten the 'organization is key to life' gene like Marie had. A call from Hana around two in the afternoon was not entirely out of the ordinary when it came to her sister. Two o'clock was usually around the time Hana got an <em>actual</em> break since her lunchtime was about only fifteen minutes long on a regular day.</p><p>"Hey, Hana, what's up?" Marie immediately asked after checking the caller I.D.</p><p>"Marie! Thank God I caught you! Did you make it to Glenn's okay?" Hana blurted out in one breath, "Listen, <em>shit</em>, have you paid attention to what's been going down in California?"</p><p>Marie sat up from where she'd collapsed on Glenn's couch after finally deeming the apartment clean, "Um, yeah, I made it to Glenn's and, um, not really, <em>no</em> about the California thing, you know I don't really watch T.V."</p><p>"Ok, listen to me, Marie. Strange things have been happening over there and I think that it's starting to spread over here." Hana whispered into the receiver, "The hospital administration is acting <em>bizarre</em>. Some people have been going <em>crazy</em> and attacking each other. Anyone that comes in with strange bite wounds is being sent to a different, <em>quarantined,</em> area of the hospital. Samantha and I haven't seen anyone come out of there in days. And that guy Mitchel, you remember the creep who works down in the morgue, is suddenly very publically threatening to quit if the <em>dead</em> situation isn't resolved-"</p><p>"Wait," Marie interrupted, Hana's voice had steadily become more panicked as she unpacked, "<em>Dead</em> situation? What dead situation, Hana?"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 1201<br/>__________</p><p><br/>2012 Conversion Mercedes Sprinter Marie's van is based off.<br/>(FunFact: This van is actually for sale...)<br/>___________</p><p>I do NOT speak Korean. At all. I apologize in advance to anyone who does speak the language in advance. Please, feel free to correct me. (I'm using GoogleTranslate and am trying not to think too much on all of the inaccuracies that will crop up).</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. P-I 2 Days (pt2)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A slightly crazed giggle reached Marie's ear as Hana gasped out, "I <em>know!</em> Some of the attendings have been acting strange- and more and <em>more</em> hospital personal are calling in sick with that new flu strain. Hospital security's been increased too. Marie, something really <em>bad</em> is going on."</p><p>Marie probably wasn't the most well-informed individual in the world, which could be blamed on her tiny aversion to television and mind-numbing news outlets, but she wasn't completely blind to the strange things that had been occurring as of late either. The number of deaths due to police shootings had increased drastically in the last three months, more people have been indiscriminately going missing as well regardless of age or gender. The flu season had also been extended, going on for two months more than it usually did reminding her of the swine flu pandemic that happened back in '09. Still, she hadn't been paying much attention to the world outside of her immediate bubble, what with school and all of the excitement going on with her <em>awesome</em> dream van. But, Hana sounded... different -<em>crazy really-</em> and <em>not</em> like her collected sarcastic self at all.</p><p>"Hana-"</p><p>"No! Marie, please, please just listen to me! Sammy's been freaked about this too, and I didn't listen, but now... She was right!" Hana practically hissed out.</p><p>"Okay, okay." Marie stated consoling, "I believe you <em>Eonni,</em> I believe you. What do I do? I mean do I need to tell Glenn to hop into the van so we can drive up there to get you and Sam?"</p><p>The line was silent for a moment, only the sounds of Hana's panicked breaths coming through, "No. I don't think you'll make it up here in time. It's already reached Michigan, it won't be long until it starts hitting populated cities like Atlanta. I- <em>Yeah</em> Sammy, I'll tell her." Hana promised the fiance Marie couldn't see or hear.</p><p>Adrenaline was starting to slowly pump through Marie's veins, Hana had always been the most <em>aware</em> out of both of her siblings. The one who could easily see through people and plan ahead. This strange <em>guilty confession-</em>like conversation was setting off all sorts of internal alarms as cold dread chilled her bones. What did Hana mean that they wouldn't make it up to Michigan in time? Marie had <em>just</em> driven down <em>yesterday.</em> What could be so horrifying and dangerous that she and Glenn wouldn't be able to get there in time? What exactly was going to start hitting populated cities? Was it the new flu strain, I mean, was it <em>that</em> bad? Were they going to have to practice self-quarantine and distancing themselves from their neighbors? Marie made a mental note to stock up her first aid kit and buy some more medications at the pharmacy across the street.</p><p>"Listen-" a tired sigh escaped from her sister making the receiver cringle a little, "Wh-Where's Glenn? Is he working?"</p><p>"Yeah, um, he should be back soon-"</p><p>"Good. That's good." Hana interrupted, "When he gets there you guys need to pack up all your shit into that van of yours and hightail it <em>out</em> of Atlanta. We just got word that L.A. fell two days ago, the government's been keeping it out of the news, the military is already starting to set up camps here-"</p><p>"Wait, what?" Marie gasped.</p><p>"That's not even the real kicker, Marie! One of my patients <em>died.</em> Julie, the toddler with leukemia. Her heart stopped, she wasn't breathing anymore, Marie!" Hana sobbed quietly, "And <em>then</em>, before I could even <em>start</em> disconnecting her from all the wires, Julie started <em>moving</em> again! But, she was <em>dead</em>, Marie, no <em>pulse</em>- no <em>nothing</em>! Julie hadn't even been able to lift her arms, let alone sit up for the last three days! An-And then she suddenly <em>bolted</em> up and ripped a <em>chunk</em> out of her mother's <em>throat!"</em></p><p>
  <em>What the fuck.</em>
</p><p>"I, um, what?"</p><p>"<em>I know!</em>" Hana breathed out shakily, "Julie bit her father and the nurse before one of the orderlies came in and strapped her down... God, he- I followed them to the fucking morgue where <em>Mitchel </em>was freaking <em>waiting</em> for us with a captive bolt <em>pistol</em> and he shot her in the freaking <em>head</em>." the hysterical note Hana's voice had taken made Marie flinch even as horror and disgust revolted in her stomach, "Apparently <em>that's</em> what Admin had been <em>hiding</em> from non-essential personal!"</p><p>"Mitchel the coroner is killing people?" Marie asked weakly.</p><p><em>"Dead</em> people are coming back to fucking <em>life</em> Marie!" Hana hissed, "They come back, except they aren't <em>people</em> anymore and the only thing they seem to want to <em>do</em> is attack anyone with a pulse! If you don't believe me just look up 'L.A.P.D. shooting unarmed civilian six times,' Marie this is the <em>real shit. </em>It's happening <em>everywhere!"</em></p><p><em>"</em>Hana, i-if this <em>is</em> real, if this is really happening people wouldn't be <em>quiet</em> about it-"</p><p>"It's <em>real</em> Marie." Hana insisted, "Oliver contacted Sammy last week. They are pulling the troops out, <em>all</em> of the troops on foreign soil! Yesterday Oliver told us that they're sending them across the States to help <em>combat</em> this, but that with L.A. falling to the walking dead they don't have <em>high hopes</em> for containing all this shit"</p><p>Oliver Davis was Samantha's goofy and overprotective big brother. He was great for a laugh and knew almost instinctively how to defuse a tense situation. Though, that didn't mean that Oliver couldn't be serious when the situation called for it. The man had always planned on joining the army since he was little and had even been a part of ROTC when he was a teenager, at least that's what Samantha had told her. The thirty-one-year-old had been deployed on another six-month cycle in the Middle East, he'd only been gone for three months... Marie liked Oliver, he wasn't a liar. Especially when it came to something that might put his little sister in danger.</p><p>"This- this is insane."</p><p>"Oliver- he, well, he defected. Left his post and he's almost here."</p><p><em>What?</em> That was <em>almost</em> as unbelievable as dead people walking around.</p><p>"Marie this isn't going to <em>end,</em> you need to pack up anything you need to rough it out in the woods. Do you have your <em>gakgung</em>?" she suddenly asked.</p><p>"Yeah, I have the one I got from <em>Hal-abeoji</em>, and, um, the newer one you bought me as a coming home gift... I also got, um, a compound bow I bought last year, wait. Why are you even asking me?"</p><p>Hana groaned frustratedly before snapping, "Aren't you getting it, Marie? This is it! The <em>extinction event</em> of humanity!"</p><p>Alright. Now, Hana was starting to sound like one of those dooms-day preppers that were convinced the world was going to explode when the ball dropped on New Years just because some Mayan's got lazy and decided to stop updating their calendars when they reached the year 2012. "May-Maybe you're overreacting Hana-"</p><p>"Marie!" Hana hissed, "Have I ever lied to you before!?"</p><p>"No..." she mumbled dejectedly.</p><p>"Exactly! Marie, you and Glenn need to start preparing yourselves! Grab all of the canned goods and dried food you can, medicine! You need to <em>stockpile</em> on that shit, and on tampons or pads -<em>which one do you use again</em>- whatever, just grab all of it! Just, just please <em>do</em> this for <em>me,</em> Marie. Even if you <em>don't</em> believe me right now, just get <em>everything</em> you need together."</p><p>"Okay." Marie promised, "<em>A</em><em>l-ass-eo Eonni</em>, I will."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 1290</p><p>__________</p><p><br/>Samantha Davis; Hana's longterm girlfriend and fiance</p><p>__________</p><p><br/>Oliver Davis; Samantha's older brother</p><p>~~~~~<br/>Alright, be honest with me... did I accidentally post chapter two twice?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. P-I 2 Days (pt3)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Marie was <em>more</em> than a little <em>relieved</em> when Glenn got home fifteen minutes after she'd let Hana go on the phone. She had unearthed Glenn's suitcase from the hallway cupboard as soon as Hana had hung up and had started rifling through her brother's dresser and small bedroom closet for suitable clothes that would last Glenn a long time. Glenn's five jeans were the first things she folded and packed into the suitcase, one of his joggers and three comfortable sweatpants were also added as well as a pair of long johns since it got really cold in the winter and based on what Hana said it didn't look like <em>this</em> would be over by that time. She'd been going through Glenn's various t-shirts when her confused brother walked in.</p><p>"Um, Marie... what are you doing?"</p><p>Her eyes snapped up to look at him before she bolted across the room, her brother flinched at her quick movements but Marie didn't care as she threw her arms around him and let out a distressed whimper, "Glenn!"</p><p>His arms immediately wrapped around her, "Hey, <em>hey.</em> What's wrong? What happened Marie?"</p><p>"Hana just called." Marie started, barely able to hold back the panic from her tone- she failed, "Hana says we need to pack all our shit, an-and that <em>dead</em> people are walking around killing <em>people</em>. We <em>have</em> to leave Atlanta before the military arrive and try to quarantine us-"</p><p>"Wait!" Glenn interrupted, "Hold on a second, <em>breathe</em> Marie. I-I just, start from the <em>beginning,</em> Marie. You're not making any sense."</p><p>Marie breathed in deeply before letting it out of her lungs slowly, "You're more informed than me, have you heard about that new virus going around?"</p><p>His brows furrowed questioningly, "Yeah, many people have been calling in sick."</p><p>"Okay." Marie nodded, "Have you <em>seen</em> that video taken of L.A.P.D. gunning down unarmed civilians?"</p><p>He nodded questioningly, "It was going around two days ago at work, what does that have to do with-"</p><p>"Everything, apparently. Hana called and said that one of her terminal patients <em>died</em> but somehow didn't <em>stay</em> dead. The toddler didn't have a pulse, wasn't even breathing, but she was still moving around and ended up attacking her parents and a nurse!"</p><p>"H-How is that even possible?"</p><p>Marie shrugged, "Hana's not sure. But the mother of the girl died five minutes after having her fucking throat ripped out by her three-year-old and then came back to life just like the kid did and tried attacking the hospital staff that'd been trying to save her life."</p><p>Glenn ripped his cap off and began running his fingers through his hair, "Are you fucking with me right now, Marie? Because this <em>isn't</em> funny."</p><p>She punched his arm in annoyance, "Does it look like I'm laughing right now, Glenn?"</p><p>"No..." he moaned softly as he plopped down on his bed.</p><p>"Hana said we need get the hell away from the city, something about the population being too dense so it has a higher chance of being overrun just like L.A."</p><p>"Wait, L.A.'s been overrun? By what? Cannibalistic <em>dead</em> people?"</p><p>"Apparently," Marie shrugged nervously, "The government's been keeping it a secret. Oliver's in Indiana, he's almost at Lake City."</p><p>"Oliver! Sam's <em>brother</em>, Oliver? I thought he was in the middle of a tour!"</p><p>"Troops on foreign soil have all been recalled. Apparently Oliver <em>defected</em> the second he got on American soil."</p><p>"<em>Defected!?"</em> Gleen squeaked, "Oliver? As in Mr. Patriot, defected? From the U.S. army. <em>Our</em> U.S. army?"</p><p>"Yes!" Marie hissed as she rolled her eyes, <em>"Oliver Davis.</em> Hana says we won't make it home in time before the walking <em>dead</em> and the <em>military</em> overrun us."</p><p>"This is insane." he mumbled, "Completely <em>fucking</em> crazy. What else did <em>Noona</em> say?"</p><p>Marie rubbed her forehead nervously, "We need to stock up on canned and dried food, camping gear, things for the winter, medicine, batteries, gas, propane... everything we would need to survive in the wild."</p><p>A deep body-shuddering sigh escaped from Glenn as he stood up determinedly, "Let's get started then."</p><p>"Yup." Marie nodded, rubbing her trembling fingers on her jeans until they stopped shaking, "You finish packing up your suitcase, pack lots of socks and underwear. Sweaters, your raincoat and one of your heavier winter jackets too." at his questioning look she mumbled, "Hana says she doesn't know how <em>long</em> this will last... or if it even will."</p><p>Glenn grimaced, "Alright."</p><p>The siblings quickly got to work in stripping the apartment out of the rest useful items, like Glenn's meager camping gear and loaded up the grocery cart with all of the non-perishables and some frozen things that they'd store in the cooler from the apartment, medication and toiletry items that he owned. Despite nothing being remiss in the streets of Atlanta it had been nerve-wracking to transfer all of the supplies, including the tiny suitcase she'd brought up to his apartment the day before, to Marie's van. The only recreational items they'd loaded were Glenn's electronics since he swore he knew how to get around the lack of service when the grids would eventually fall and their favorite movies/series that he had on DVD.</p><p>Their next stop was the pharmacy and CVS across the street from Glenn's apartment. She sent her brother to the pharmacy on his own to purchase all of the fever reducers, allergy medication, salves, ear/eye drops, nasal spray, vitamins, that he could grab his hand on. While Marie had switched to using a menstrual cup <em>years</em> ago, since it was more environmentally friendly and Hana had said it was a godsend -<em>one that Marie agreed with one hundred percent</em>- and she'd never gone back to using pads or tampons, she bought three boxes of tampons and sanitary pads each <em>just</em> in case. The majority of her cart was filled with all of the canned food from that aisle and all of the instant noodles and ramen as well. The siblings had messily loaded everything into the van before heading back to the CVS to purchase a shitload of batteries and a bunch of packaged water, some emergency sewing kits, and the prepacked first aid kits.</p><p>There were more police officers patrolling the streets that evening, something that seemed to go over the heads of the more oblivious citizens of Atlanta... though -l<em>ike Glenn and Marie</em>- for every ten clueless person they passed by, there was <em>one</em> nervous and hyperaware one bustling through the crowds.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 1075<br/>~-~-~-~-~-~<br/>-~-~-~-~-<br/>Marie: There are dead freaks eating people.<br/>Glenn: ...<br/>Marie: I'm not joking. Hana told me.<br/>Glenn: ...<br/>Marie: Apparently L.A.'s been overrun with them. We have to leave the city before things get bad here too.<br/>Glenn: Are you sure you aren't high?<br/>Marie: *looks at him pointedly* Oliver Davis defected from the army.<br/>Glenn: *chokes on his spit*<br/>Marie: *nods wisely*<br/>Glenn: What the hell are we waiting for!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. P-I 1 day (pt1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The last place they stopped at before heading back for Glenn's apartment, where'd they decided that they'd stay the night at one last time before hitting the open road in the morning, was grocery shopping at the twenty-four-hour Target five blocks away. Target had a <em>lot</em> more useful items they needed to live off the grid comfortably.</p><p>(<em>Iodine tablets in case the microfilter was out of reach, a cool dehydrator, insect repellent, sunblock, lanterns with rechargeable batteries, rope, a magnesium bar, rice cooker, headlamp, waterproof ponchos, soap making tools, well-stored propane tanks, walkie-talkies, sturdy hiking boots, practical swimsuits, new heavy-duty waterproof bags, new fishing gear since Hana had all of their gear back home and an inflatable raft they could use as a boat to do said fishing, twine, a hatchet, a fancy toolbox and some power tools, heavy-duty storage totes so that they could actually organize all of the things they'd bought, some 'How To...' books, empty canisters to fill up with gas tomorrow... and well, a whole lot more</em>).</p><p>Plus some actual groceries to hold them together for at least two months or so. Glenn had only laughed at her when she added an insane amount of yarn to the cart, he wouldn't be laughing so much during the winter when she refused to crochet him any hats, scarves or gloves as the weather soured. Her absolute favorite part of shopping down south was that there was always an artillery or hunting section in the big chain stores. Marie bought a bunch of arrows that would work for her recurve bows and some for her compound bow and extra string in case the bowstrings snapped and she needed to repair them. Glenn bought three slingshots -<em>his weapon of choice since they were children, the dork</em>- extra rubber, and a bunch of pellets since he <em>really</em> sucked at using her bow. No matter <em>how</em> much Marie and their <em>hal-abeoji</em> had tried to show him. They ended up calling a taxi to drop them off on Glenn's street, not only because they'd bought more than they could physically carry but because it made Marie nervous to walk around the streets of Atlanta after dark.</p><p>They'd spent half an hour organizing the majority of their new supplies in the trailer and a few in the actual van before they carefully ran into Glenn's building and crashed immediately in her brother's room- since Marie was feeling too wired to stay apart from her brother's comforting presence. In retrospect, the morning seemed to come too soon. Marie made them a simple breakfast with items that hadn't made the final cut the previous day. Glenn, who'd only gotten antsier the more that they'd shopped the previous day, had quickly flipped onto the local news channel to see if they were finally giving information to the public.</p><p>The military had arrived in Atlanta during the early morning. As of now, the news anchors stated that the flu strain was now being labeled as a worldwide pandemic -<em>Marie's skin fucking crawled</em>- and that the military would be stationed to help <em>control</em> the expected influx of new people heading towards the city for protection and sanctuary. Atlanta was officially now in quarantine as the anchors started explaining some of the common, and <em>strange,</em> symptoms of the flu.</p><p>"<em>Mayor Kasim Reed has officially shut the public schools down as a preventative measure to protect our children. But more on that later. Cases for the new flu strain have exploded everywhere</em>." a woman stated seriously before turning to her co-anchor.</p><p>"<em>As of now, the way one contracts this illness isn't entirely clear. However, one surefire form in which one becomes ill comes from direct contact with an infected individual</em>." the man droned on the screen, "<em>Like most sexually transmitted diseases, an exchange of bodily fluids is will ensure transmission one-hundred percent."</em></p><p><em>"As George mentioned, an exchange of fluids results in a transmission of the flu. Some of the more extreme cases of patients with this infection lose the ability of cognitive reasoning.</em>" the blonde female anchor continued effortlessly, "<em>Family members of the infected are being told to stay away from their loved ones because of the violent natures sick individuals contract. Unable to recognize family or friends, infected people -regardless of age or gender- attack anyone indiscriminately.</em>"</p><p>"<em>Dr. Stefan Giaone has liked some of the behavior to those who have contracted rabies. Bites or scratches that have broken the skin are the more common indicators that someone has been infected. The ill people, who as of right now are being considered 'lost causes' by the majority of medical experts, this is due to the troubling vital signs and violent deterioration of the mind. As of now, the CDC is working tirelessly to find a cure."</em></p><p>Red lips were pressed into a thin line as the female anchor frowned seriously, "<em>Following the transmission of the illness, high fevers are the first indicators that the infection is settling in. Medical experts have had a difficult time controlling these fevers, resulting in the death of over ninety percent of their patients.</em>"</p><p>"<em>It is being recommended by officials that the residents of Atlanta sequestrate themselves in their homes if possible. Especially if they can work from home. It is recommended that displaced civilians relocate to the nearest shelter being provided by the military, all of this information can be found on our channel's personal website -or feel free to stay tuned to learn about the recommended evacuation routes and locations one should head for in an emergency.</em>" George stated in an informative manner, as if he was simply describing the weather, "<em>Atlanta PD has begun working closely with the stationed military officials to keep our citizens safe-</em>"</p><p>Glenn turned off the TV as the siblings exchanged a helpless look. Things were exploding at a faster rate than they'd anticipated. "Call Hana," Glenn stated seriously as he put his now empty dish in the sink.</p><p>"Okay, um, Glenn check the traffic report. I want to get the hell out of here like <em>yesterday.</em>" she mumbled before fumbling with her cell phone and dialing Hana's number. It took two minutes for the lines to connect and for Marie to actually hear it start ringing.</p><p><em>"Hello!?"</em> the familiar voice of her sister crackled through.</p><p>"Hana! Hey, it's me, Marie. Listen, um, Glenn and I are pretty much ready to head out now. Are you sure that we won't be able to make it to Lake City?"</p><p>"We <em>wouldn't</em> recommend it." Hana sighed, "The military has been setting up a bunch of roadblocks and it'll take you so <em>long</em> even make it here. Oliver's got a friend who lives in Ontario, on Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron, that's willing to take us in. They haven't had any cases there yet..."</p><p>Even if Marie and Glenn made it <em>home...</em> their sister <em>wouldn't</em> be <em>there.</em></p><p>"Oh..." she croaked out before clearing her throat, "Wh-What about our... parents?"</p><p>An angry huff came from the receiver, "They're fucking blind and are <em>refusing</em> to listen to reason."</p><p>Typical. Marie ignored the urge to roll her eyes and rub her temples.</p><p>"We're leaving in an hour." Hana whispered guiltily after a moment, "Marie, I-I don't think we're gonna see each other for a <em>long</em> time." The '<em>if ever again</em>' was silent but ever-present in her sister's shaky voice.</p><p>Tears burned behind her eyes as Marie stretched her hand out towards Glenn. Her big brother gripped her hand tightly into his own. "Stay safe Hana."</p><p>"You too little sister. I love you. Be <em>safe,</em> you hear me? Stay away from the cities, hospitals, and military bases. You need to avoid the places people will flock to. That means you need to go in the opposite direction the military and news outlets are telling you to go."</p><p>"Okay." Marie whispered, "I <em>love</em> you too, <em>E</em><em>onni</em>."</p><p>"Can- <em>please</em> pass me to Glenn for a moment." the pediatrician requested with a sniffle. Marie silently passed the phone to her brother who handled the cell with care as he pressed it to his ear.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 1300<br/>~-~-~-~-~-~<br/>-~-~-~-~-<br/>Marie: I don't even want to see the total on that receipt.<br/>Glenn: Neither do I.<br/>Marie: At least money won't have value soon enough.<br/>Glenn: ...<br/>Glenn: At least you'll never have to pay back your student loans.<br/>Marie: This is the freest feeling I've ever had.<br/>-~-~-~-~-<br/>-~-~-~-~-<br/>Hana: Glenn, my sweet brave little brother. I need you to be strong now. Be smart.<br/>Glenn: ...<br/>Hana: Look after Marie. Stick together and survive. Listen to your instincts.<br/>Glenn: ...<br/>Hana: And most importantly kick-ass.<br/>Glenn: Always, Noona.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. P-I 1 day (pt2)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Glenn's brief conversation with their sister ended on a bittersweet note as the circuits were overloaded and the call dropped. Marie and Glenn shared a morose look before jumping into action. They took turns taking quick showers while the other gathered any last-minute items that they had missed the first time they stripped Glenn's apartment. All in all, the siblings were already buckled up and in the van thirty-five minutes later. The drastic change in the people of Atlanta from the day before was... <em>worrying.</em> Frantic shoppers were blowing through the streets either with heavy bags to haul up with for the next week or with the desperate intensity of someone who <em>would.</em></p><p>Atlanta PD and the occasional cameo clad soldier could be seen patrolling the streets every few minutes, which only seemed to really rile up the normal civilians and make them even more <em>frantic.</em> Glenn directed her through the busy and congested streets of lower Atlanta until they came to a stop when a police officer tried to redirect them away from what looked like a riot-situation happening close by to the exit they wanted to take.</p><p>"Damn, okay let's back petal, take the first right... hopefully, it won't be blocked off because of this shit." Glenn grunted before they both violently flinched back when a drunk looking rioter came up behind the officer and took a <em>bite</em> out of the man's neck. The man let out a gurgling scream as he was pulled down by the <em>infected</em> rioter who began clawing at the officer to reach more flesh. The police officer was being <em>eaten</em> alive. Eaten. Right there, blood spraying all over the pavement. Right in front of her. <em>Eaten.</em></p><p>"Shit! <em>Shitshitshitshit</em>. Holy fuck! <em>Neomu jalmosdoeeossseubnida</em>! Did you see that! Did you see that!" Marie screeched as she peeled away from the scene.</p><p>"<em>Yes</em>! Oh god!" Glenn moaned as he pressed a fist to his lips, "He was <em>eating</em> him! Oh god- Turn right here!"</p><p>"<em>Where are we going?"</em></p><p>"Away!" her brother practically squeaked out, "Far, <em>far</em> away!"</p><p>Marie shot her brother an annoyed glare despite her rising panic, "I <em>know</em> that! But <em>where</em>? I don't know Georgia like <em>you</em> do!"</p><p>"I, um, <em>water</em>, t-there's a quarry not too far from the city limits... We c-can head over there for now." he stammered as Marie took another right before she had to slam onto the breaks when an African American man in his mid-thirties ran into the street right in front of the van. The man fell onto the black pavement in shock making his duffle bag spill onto the street, "Fuck! <em>Where'd</em> he come from?"</p><p>"Oh god! D-Did I <em>hit</em> him!" Marie screeched as Glenn unbuckled his seat belt and jumped out of the van to go the stranger's aid. Maire didn't follow after her brother, though she did lower her window and stick her head out to get a better view, "Is he okay?"</p><p>Glenn nodded as he helped the other man to his feet and began collecting the man's strewn bag, "Yeah, um, he needs a ride."</p><p>"Fine, hop in! We need to get the <em>fuck</em> outta here!" she commanded as the two men ran to the van, "Left side! Left side, that's the only door to the back!" she commanded the stranger who'd gone towards the right.</p><p>The second both of the men were in the car Marie started driving again. "What the <em>hell</em> were you doing running into the street like that? I could have <em>killed</em> you!"</p><p>"S-Sorry!" the man in the back panted before letting out a low whistle as he took in his surroundings, "Holy <em>shit,</em> nice van, I-I didn't think this was an R.V."</p><p>"It's not." Glenn explained absentmindedly, "The Sprinter's been converted into a campervan."</p><p>Marie nodded her head nervously, her stomach finally crawling down from her throat, as she took the exit out of the city, "What's your name?"</p><p>"Theodore, Theodore Douglas." the man introduced himself as he wiped his brow, "My friends call me T-Dog."</p><p>"Well, if you wanna stay in the city speak up now T-Dog because we're heading towards a quarry out of the city limits." Glenn blurted as he nervously ran his fingers through his hair.</p><p>"N-No, I'll stick with you two, if you don't mind." T-Dog stated before explaining himself, "My cousin, he was in the reserve military, told me to get the hell out of the city. This shit is only going to get worse if we get stuck here. What are your names?"</p><p>"Oh, um, I'm Glenn... Glenn Rhee." her brother offered before gesturing to her, "This is my little sister Marie."</p><p>"Nice to meet you." Marie offered reflexively as she was stopped once more, this time by an army uniform-clad figure at the beginning of the expressway out of the city. "<em>Fuck, what now?</em>" she mumbled as she rolled down her window, "Um, is there something <em>wrong,</em> officer, um, <em>sir?"</em></p><p>The man stared her down seriously, <em>"Why</em> are you leaving the city? Civilians are being asked to quartine themselves in their homes until we give the 'all-clear' when your block's been cleared of biters."</p><p>"Oh, um," Marie exchanged a nervous look with her brother before blurting out a lie, "We're heading <em>home,</em> to our parents. They're old, and well, <em>waiting</em> for us."</p><p>"If you leave, you may not be allowed <em>back</em> in." the soldier cautioned with a hard look on his face, "We're setting up checkpoints along the highway to make sure that <em>any</em> refugees heading this way aren't infected, you won't be <em>guaranteed</em> re-entry when you get back with your parents."</p><p>"W-We'll take the chance, sir." Glenn piped up as he leaned in before emphasizing, "It's our <em>parents</em>."</p><p>The soldier nodded as he reached for the radio pinned to his lapel and let the other men know that they could pass through. Men scurried out of the way as Marie drove down the expressway until the U.S. soldiers were nothing but a small blip in the rearview mirrors. The other side of the expressway leading into Atlanta was already congested with overpacked cars and trucks full of people wanting refuge in the city. Marie couldn't help but feel that very soon the <em>opposite</em> would come true, with cars going bumper to bumper trying to <em>escape</em> from the city as the police and army are overwhelmed.</p><p>"Your parents..." T-Dog piped up after a moment, "Are they close by?"</p><p>"Nah," Glenn offered, "They're back in Michigan, that was just some quick thinking from Marie."</p><p>Marie snorted softly, "Not that they <em>would</em> come with us if we <em>begged.</em> They're the most <em>stubborn</em> assholes in the world, they'd refuse to leave the house unless there's no other choice."</p><p>"True," Glenn nodded before wincing, their parents weren't the best ones in the world... but they were still <em>their</em> parents. Marie steadily pushed away any lingering twangs of grief from her mind... she didn't have the time for regret or remorse. At least not right now.</p><p>It took about an hour to reach the quarry Glenn had talked about, mostly because they stopped at a gas station by the highway to fill up the van and the canisters they'd bought at Target... only thing was that they weren't the first to reach the quarry. Two men were already setting up camp right before the tree line by the ridge. One of them was clearly older than the other and had taken a cocky stance when he saw that they were pulling up as he swung a shotgun over his shoulder with an ease that belayed his experience with the weapon. The younger counterpart squared up seriously as he leveled a crossbow, an <em>awesome</em> choice of weapon in her opinion, in their direction.</p><p>"I-I'll go out first," Glenn started nervously, "Introduce ourselves. <em>They</em> got here first so they got dibs, but they'll hopefully let us stay."</p><p>"<em>Josimhae, Oppa.</em>" Marie cautioned in a whisper as she lowered her window while her brother slowly stepped out of the van with his arms raised in the air.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 1293<br/>___________</p><p><br/>Marie Rhee</p><p> </p><p>  </p><p> </p><p>I thought you all might like to see more pictures of our main character... I'm a huge fangirl for this actress (Moon Geun Young)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. P-I 1 day (pt3)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Well, lookie who got 'ere." the older man crowed, "Couple a gooks an' a, yup tha's a spook too." he grunted as T-Dog got out of the van as well.</p><p><em>Great</em>.</p><p>If the racial slurs were any indication of the man's hospitality, Marie had a feeling that they'd be kicked out of the quarry <em>sooner</em> rather than later. The older man looked to be in his mid-forties based on the visible crows-feet at the corners of his piercing blue eyes -<em>they were a shade paler than the other man's and gave the older one a meaner look</em>- while the younger was probably in his late twenties or early thirties since he was only starting to show signs of aging. Marie guessed that they were probably brothers based on how comfortable they were with one another... that and the similar jawlines and thin pale lips that they shared.</p><p>"Look, um, we're not looking for any trouble." Glenn offered placatingly, "We're just looking for a place to camp out for a while. I'm Glenn, my little sister Marie is behind the wheel and that's T-"</p><p>"Look like a city-dweller ta me. Why'd you an' yer lil' Chinadoll an' muscle decide ta come out 'ere when Atlanta's only a few miles away." the man had a genuine Georgian drawl as he narrowed cold blue eyes on her brother's form.</p><p>"City's not safe." Glenn retorted, "Military might have pulled in last night, but they're gonna get overwhelmed with biters soon 'cause people have been flocking onto the streets like madmen."</p><p>"An'? How's tha' our problem?"</p><p>"Listen, um, we just want to set up camp. We'll even drive to the other side of the clearing, and stay out of your way."</p><p>"Fine by me brotha." the man with the crossbow spoke up for the first time as he lowered his weapon to lean against a beat-up looking truck, "Ain't like own 'is place anyways, Merle."</p><p>"Always been the soft 'ne my baby brotha." Merle grunted, "Fine, jus' stay outta our way. Our kinds ain't meant ta mix."</p><p>T-Dog looked like he was about to protest when Glenn shook his head and gestured for them to get back in the van. Marie shot the two men a nervous look before shifting into drive and pulling away toward a sunny spot and parking.</p><p>"You guys got any camping gear? Tent, that I could borrow and set up?" T-Dog asked.</p><p>"Um, yeah. Definitely." Marie piped up as she unbuckled and moved into the living/kitchen area of the van, "But I think we moved all that stuff into the trailer, right Glenn?"</p><p>"Yeah." her brother agreed as he opened the passenger door and hopped out.</p><p>Marie motioned for T-Dog to open the sliding door before they followed Glenn to the trailer. She fished out the key for the lock from the chain around her neck before pressing it into the palm of her brother's hand so that he could open the trailer. The door slid upwards as T-Dog let out an appreciative whistle. The camping things were in the front lefthand side of the trailer so it was easy to identify and pick out what T-Dog needed.</p><p>"Were you guys, going camping or something?" the African-American asked curiously.</p><p>"Or something." Marie snorted as she passed Glenn the tent and a sleeping bag, before admitting, "The majority of this stuff is all my shit. I came to Atlanta with the intention of not returning home for a while. Our sister Hana, she's a pediatrician in Michigan, called us last night and told us to get ready to bug out and go camping in a rural area."</p><p>Glenn nodded before running his fingers through his hair, "Hana's girlfriend, her big brother, he's military too. Oliver tipped us off, said that it's pretty easy for the dead to overwhelm the army if we decide to stay in a heavily populated area like the city. It's next to impossible to make it to Michigan 'cause two of the hospitals have already been overwhelmed." Marie's eyes widened at the new information as she grabbed the collapsable cot T-Dog could use as a bed, "It's a fourteen-hour drive to Lake City on a good day. By the time me and Marie would have made it home, Hana, Sam, and Oliver would have been gone."</p><p>"I'm sorry." T-Dog offered.</p><p>The Rhee siblings nodded in unison as they closed up the trailer once more and helped T-Dog set up the tent. It was better not to dwell on things that they had no control over. The Georgian woods surrounding the quarry were thick and full of life as birds and smaller critters moved around unseen. The days were much hotter here than they were in Michigan, though the temperature often dropped in the evenings. Marie did not want to start turning on the heating in the van in the evenings just yet, she'd rather avoid it until they no longer have the option. Building a fire would be their best bet for tonight.</p><p>While the boys were busy with the tent, Marie decided to start gathering dry wood and some stones to form a fire pit. The whole endeavor didn't take too long, starting the fire only took Marie five minutes with the help of the magnesium bar and dry leaves/twigs. Marie nodded in satisfaction before getting back in her van, switching the overhead lights on and getting the bedroom ready for the evening. She'd left the two pull out beds in the back down the last time she had been in there, the only thing that really needed to be done was dress the mattress toppers tied to the frames.</p><p>The first half of the van was rather spartan in nature, but the bedroom was another matter altogether. The walls had a cool hanging shoe rack for the footwear they'd be using daily while the rest of the space had hanging rods screwed in to hold their clothes. On Marie's side, she also had two of those fabric collapsible shelves holding some of her yarn and current crochet projects.</p><p>Under the beds were storage bags, the checkered patterned one had the linens and clean towel, the two navy blue bags had kitchen things like some of the dried and packaged food, and the yellow had both of their undergarments stored so that they weren't out for display. A medium-sized waterproof container under Glenn's bed had all of Marie's archery equipment. All in all, it <em>was</em> a bit cluttered but it had everything they needed to live comfortably for the next couple of months. And that was without taking into account all the stuff they had stored in the trailer hitched to the van. They were okay.</p><p>Marie would be fine.</p><p>Glenn would be fine.</p><p>Their new friend T-Dog would be just fine too.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 1186<br/>~.~.~.~.~.~</p><p>(I hope you all enjoyed this first Dixon/Rhee interaction... T-Dog and Merle are definitely already off to a bad start, LOL, just like canon... I want to take a second to apologize to anyone if the slurs that Merle threw around offended anyone.)<br/>~-~-~-~-~-~<br/>-~-~-~-~-</p><p>Daryl: Look. New people.<br/>Merle: *cackles*<br/>Daryl: *side-eyes him*<br/>Merle: Finally. Someone new to mess with.<br/>Daryl: *sighs as he looks up at the sky for patience* At least I'll have a break...</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Pre-Atlanta Incident 10 Days (pt1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next three days at the quarry were kind of slow.</p><p>T-Dog had decided to head back down to the city yesterday after receiving a phone call from his distressed pastor. The older man had been a professional football player until he turned twenty-seven and until now had been employed by his local house of worship, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, where he drove their van to transport members to sermons. Apparently, a lot of the elderly attendees needed help to evacuate to the refugee centers in the northern parts of the city. T-Dog promised that he'd be back as soon as he finished transporting the older residents.</p><p>The younger Dixon brother had been kind enough to drive T-Dog down to the highway where he could hitch a ride, since Glenn had managed to convince him that they should buy everything useful <em>-before things get even worse-</em> from the gas station ten miles away from the city limit... It honestly hadn't been that hard, since the brothers shared the same mindset that money would very soon become obsolete, or already had. Merle had even joined that excursion after Marie handed over the rest of the cash she'd had on her told him that he could buy whatever the hell he wanted. Now Marie was internally afraid that the man would contract cancer from all the chain-smoking he'd been doing and that it would be all her fault for enabling him.</p><p>While the men were out shopping, Marie had spent her first day on the beautiful lake in her inflatable raft fishing... that is after being reassured by the Dixon's that it was clean and actually abundant with life. She'd caught the biggest freshwater drum she had ever seen, two crappies and bluegills. They ate really well that evening and the Dixon brothers had been suitably impressed by Marie's fishing and gutting skills. Marie ended up dehydrating the leftover fish and turning it into a form of jerky that could be eaten at their leisure at a later date.</p><p>Despite their rocky start, coinhabiting with the Dixon brothers, as they learned, really wasn't <em>as</em> difficult as they'd thought it be. Daryl, the younger brother, was pretty quiet and generally kept to himself... both brothers were really proficient in hunting and living off the land, Daryl, in particular, was something else when it came to using his crossbow to fell the wildlife in the forest.</p><p>He'd been awkwardly grateful when Marie gave him some of the fish jerkies to hold him over while he hunted. Marie found that the whole exchange had been strangely adorable and had reminded her of a naughty child not used to getting positive attention.</p><p>If you ignored the racial and sometimes sexist slurs from Merle, he wasn't too bad either. He was a bit of a chatter mouth, always talking even if it was just to himself. Actually, he was pretty funny and had a plethora of interesting stories to share if you were willing to listen. He still called Marie a Chinadoll, which didn't really bother her too much, but he wasn't really rude otherwise. He seemed to find Glenn's quick wit and good ideas interesting while he appreciated Marie's knowledge of botany and foraging.</p><p>Yesterday Daryl had brought Marie one of the skinned rabbits he'd caught in exchange for some side dishes. Merle had <em>cackled</em> when she gave the brothers some seasoned rice and braised baby potatoes with wild mushrooms. In Merle's defense, Marie laughed at the irony too. While the Rhee siblings and Dixon brothers tended to stay in their designated areas, it wasn't really <em>awkward</em> anymore.</p><p>Part of it was because T-Dog was gone. Merle is confrontational by nature and T-Dog, as she learned that first night, was not the type of person to let the redneck's -<em>a derogatory term to describe an uneducated white person from the south as Glenn had explained to her after T-Dog had hissed it at the older Dixon, not that Merle had been to bothered by it since he'd crowed "Redneck an' proud o' it!" a minute later</em>- comments go.</p><p>Instead of using the water they brought, Marie and Glenn had taken advantage of the lake at the bottom of the quarry and used the foldable wagon to carry water up the hill. With an over fire grill Marie would pour the water into a pot and cover it with a lid and let the water reach boiling point before taking it off. After letting it cool, the now purified water would be transferred into a 55-gallon plastic barrel -<em>that Glenn and the Dixon's had bought at Home Depot the day they raided the gas station-</em> and used during the day.</p><p>Glenn had spent the better part of the previous day downloading all of the information available on Wikipedia onto a couple of USB drives, as well as various databases with geographical information. He transcribed a bunch of useful manuals on how to live off the land, survival, getting cars/vans to run, alternative medicine, making clothes, and a bunch of other things that Marie didn't care to memorize from the top of her head.</p><p>Two days later the group of four had been having another fish fry that evening around the Dixon's fire while Merle regaled the tale of teaching four-year-old Daryl how to fish, when the loud engines and whooping wings of helicopters flew over their heads. Not three minutes later, they'd all jumped when the explosions started in the distance as the night sky bled an orangy red. The military was bombing the city.</p><p>
  <em>Atlanta had fallen.</em>
</p><p>When their initial panic started to drain away, the Dixon's told them to move their van to their camping area so that they'd all be close by if shit hit the fan.</p><p><em>-"Aww, Merle, you do care!" Marie had teased good-naturedly while batting her eyelashes in an exaggerated manner as her heart pounded in her chest. "Hell naw, Chinadoll, I just like them way you grill th' fish. Don' wanna lose our lil' chef and 'er techno-ninja. We ain't got no entertainment wit' out ya'll!" Merle had chortled loudly as they all pretended that they weren't shaken by the explosions</em> still<em> going off</em>.-</p><p>The two men had helped Glenn gather up the camping supplies they had out while Marie moved the van before running to help them dismantle T-Dog's tent and reset it as far away from the Dixon's tent that she felt comfortable with.</p><p>It was a good thing that they'd rearranged their camp when they did, because not twenty minutes after the last explosion went off a convoy of thirteen other vehicles pulled into the quarry... With T-Dog in the lead.</p><p>Merle was already <em>seething</em> as the African American man hopped out of a church van. He made his way over to them and was quickly followed by a muscled figure with a rifle in his hand from the jeep behind him. Daryl's ever-handy crossbow was in his hands and aimed at the strangers as Merle uncharacteristically held his tongue and glared. Okay, <em>okay.</em> As long as everyone kept their cool this wouldn't turn into a blood bath.</p><p>"The hell is this!" Merle shouted furiously.</p><p>
  <em>Fuck.</em>
</p><p>Glenn pulled her closer to him so that Marie was being partially shielded by her big brother. Daryl and Merle quickly followed her brother's example as they moved in front of <em>both</em> the Rhee siblings to confront the strangers slowly exiting their cars and making an <em>awful</em> amount of <em>noise</em> while they were at it. It made her hair stand on its end and goosebumps form on her arms, weren't they even a little bit cautious or fearful of all the noise they were making?</p><p>They'd discovered four days ago that the biters or geeks, like the brothers had coined the walking dead, were attracted by sound. They followed any little noise blindly in hopes of finding a meal. Glenn and the brothers had been attacked on their shopping day by a group of five of them in the parking lot of the Home Depot. The only way to successfully put the little assholes down was to destroy their freaking <em>brains.</em> Any body shots or wounds didn't even phase them. It was a head injury or nothing... And here were these strangers ringing the damn dinner bell!</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 1438<br/>~-~-~-~-~-~<br/>-~-~-~-~-<br/>*strangers swarm the campground and make a racket*<br/>Marie: *maybe there's hope and nothing will go wrong-*<br/>Merle: *shouts angrily and points at T-Dog*<br/>Marie: There goes my life.<br/>Glenn: *steps in front of Marie*<br/>Glenn: Not on my watch.<br/>Daryl: *they' both helpless... steps in front of both Rhee siblings*<br/>Merle: *aww, look at ma baby brotha... steps in front of all three*<br/>Marie: ...<br/>Marie: *this could have ALL been avoided*</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Pre-Atlanta Incident 10 Days (pt2)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"It's alright, Merle." T-Dog started pacifyingly, "These people were on the highway when the bombs fell. They saw me driving away and started following."</p><p>"Like hell it's fine!" Merle snapped.</p><p>"Whoa! <em>Relax.</em> The name's Shane Walsh." the man that had followed after T-Dog announced, "We're not here to be problematic, jus' need somewhere to make camp."</p><p>The man's stance was arrogant and demanded respect from those around him. From the headlights of the other cars illuminating the clearing Marie could make out the tiny painted white police badge on his navy shirt. Great. From the various stories the brothers, well Merle, had regaled to them the police -<em>or pigs as Merle had so lovingly called them-</em> were often the antagonist in their tales. This was <em>not</em> going to go well. Marie instinctively grabbed the back of her brother's shirt nervously.</p><p>"An' I don' give two shits. Why'd ya lead 'em 'ere Dog-man!" Merle growled angrily at T-Dog who scowled at the nickname that Merle had bestowed upon him when he heard the other's preferred name.</p><p>"There's women and children! I wasn't about to turn them away." T-Dog retorted.</p><p>Merle crossed his arms in front of him, as if he was trying to physically restrain himself from launching at the man, "An' hows tha' our pro-"</p><p>"It's not like the quarry isn't public knowledge." the police officer cut him off, "We were heading here anyway. It just would have taken us longer to get here in the dark without T-Dog's help."</p><p>"If you assholes are gonna be settin' up camp 'ere then ya'll need ta shut the hell up! Biters are 'ttracted ta sound! Fuckin idjits!" Merle growled out in a frustrated manner as he grudgingly realized that this new group <em>wasn't</em> going to be leaving or bullied into retreating any time soon. Daryl had lowered his crossbow as his brother stormed off muttering low curses as he entered their tent with a huff.</p><p>"I thin' we'd better get some sleep tonigh.' Merle's gonna be in a mood t'morrow." Daryl murmured when he turned to them before he eyed the strangers loudly making themselves comfortable despite the warning the older Dixon had given them. Fools.</p><p>"R-Right." Glenn stammered as he put his arm around Marie's shoulders.</p><p>Before Daryl could walk away Marie grabbed onto his shirt sleeve making the older man freeze in his tracks and look at her with wide eyes. "Daryl, if you and Merle don't feel safe sleeping in the tent tonight... the van is always open for you two. It'll be a bit crowded but the couch pulls open into a futon, and it might not be the most comfortable spot but a sleeping bag-"</p><p>"Mmm, I got it. I'll talk ta Merle, don' thin' he'll go for it though. Git some sleep." Daryl blurted out as he ducked his head and practically ran away from her.</p><p>A snort from Glenn made Marie smack his arm reproachfully, "Shut up."</p><p>"I don't think I've ever seen him <em>move</em> so fast," Glenn whispered, cautious, aware that the Dixon's tent wasn't too far away and that Daryl might hear him with his superhearing bat ears, a wide smile stretched across his face.</p><p>"He <em>is</em> pretty fast on his feet." Marie acknowledged as she let out soft giggles while her brother shook as he swallowed his laughter.</p><p>Movement in the corner of her eye made Marie freeze, "Glenn, Marie." T-Dog greeted, "It's been a while."</p><p>"Hey man." Glenn replied amicably, "The tent's over here if you want to sleep."</p><p>"Thanks." the African American grunted as he hauled a duffle bag that Marie hadn't noticed till now over his shoulder, "Why'd you move the van, by the way. Threw me off for a second when I noticed it was over here."</p><p>"It's safer this way." Marie piped up, "Being with the Dixons is <em>much</em> safer than not camping with them. Especially after everything that's happened tonight."</p><p>Glenn nodded, "We could practically feel the earth-shaking from here... hell, you can still see Atlanta burning in the distance. I'm glad you made it out T-Dog."</p><p>A shudder wracked through her frame... the bombing of Atlanta was terrifying from the relative safety of the quarry, Marie didn't even <em>want </em>to imagine what it would have been like to have actually been <em>i</em><em>n </em>the city when the military decided to blow it to kingdom come.</p><p>"Thanks... But <em>safer,</em> with the Dixons? Don't see how that would work?" T-Dog shifted the heavy looking duffle bag on his shoulder as he threw a heated look towards the tent that the Dixon brothers had disappeared to.</p><p>Maire glared at him, "Of <em>course</em> it's safer, we've been working together just fine."</p><p>That response shut him up as shock was clearly painted onto his face, "Oh, um, I thought that the Dixons were..."</p><p>"They're good people." Glenn said strongly this time, "Little intimidating and rough around the edges, but <em>good</em> people overall. Come on, Marie, it's late and we have to get up early."</p><p>"Night." Marie offered as she let herself be led away into the van before complimenting Glenn in their native tongue, "<em>Meosjige malhaessda, Oppa.</em>"</p><p>He sent her a wry grin as he locked the door behind them and followed her into their shared bedroom, "I try. Besides, it wasn't like I <em>lied.</em> Merle can be a little racist, but well he's <em>Merle</em>." he emphasized like he couldn't imagine the older redneck being any different than the way he was -<em>Marie honestly couldn't either, she liked Merle's abrasiveness, it was funny- </em>before shrugging his shoulders as he kicked off his trainers, "Daryl's awesome too, like a southern version of Batman."</p><p>Marie snorted, "Jeez, Glenn, you're such a fucking nerd... Besides, <em>Marvel</em> is a million times better than DC."</p><p>Glenn gasped comically, "You- You take <em>that</em> back!"</p><p>"Never." she deadpanned as grabbed her pajamas and turned to go change in the bathroom.</p><p>"Monster!" Glenn bemoaned half-playfully and half-seriously, "God where did I <em>fail</em> with you?"</p><p>"Ha, I think the <em>real</em> question is, how blind are <em>you</em> Glenn that you refuse to acknowledge the awesomeness that is the MCU universe." she retorted without looking back as she slid the bathroom door close.</p><p>"And you call <em>me</em> a nerd!" her brother huffed as he started to pull off his dirty t-shirt.</p><p>The next morning was a tense affair. Merle was still pissed from last night, though he seemed to be holding his tongue rather well and wasn't taking out his foul mood on his brother or the Rhee siblings... anyone <em>else</em> that got too close -<em>including T-Dog, in fact, definitely T-Dog, who was now probably on Merle's permanent shit list-</em> was a different story. Marie tried not to let it show on her face how uncomfortable she was to once more be surrounded by people that she didn't know. She had always been a bit of an introvert, choosing to be secluded from strangers and really only accepting the company of her brother and sister, and maybe the <em>occasional</em> friend that had broken down her barriers... something that both of the Dixon brothers now fell under. She'd gotten used to peacefully co-inhabiting with Glenn <em>and</em> the Dixon brothers, they'd constructed a <em>routine</em> that was now being interrupted by strangers.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 1275<br/>~-~-~-~-~-~<br/>-~-~-~-~-<br/>Glenn: ...<br/>Glenn: DC.<br/>Marie: Marvel.<br/>Glenn: *huffs* Batman.<br/>Marie: Ironman.<br/>Glenn: Alfred.<br/>Marie: JARVIS.<br/>Glenn: Superman.<br/>Marie: Captain America.<br/>Glenn: Wonder Woman!<br/>Marie: Black Widow.<br/>Glenn: The Flash.<br/>Marie: Peter Maximoff.<br/>Glenn: Arsenal!<br/>Marie: Hawkeye.<br/>Glenn: *twitching in anger* Nightwing! Redhood! Fucking Robins!<br/>Marie: The Falcon, Winter Soldier, Deadpool... Spiderman.<br/>Glenn: ...<br/>Glenn: You bitch. How could you mention Spidey?<br/>Marie: You started it.<br/>Glenn: Still... low blow.<br/>Glenn: *mumbling petulantly* DC's still the best.<br/>Marie: *rolls eyes before smirking* <br/>Marie: You know what I hate the most about DC movies? They're so dark you can barely watch it.<br/>Glenn: That's 'cause Marvel's villains aren't as badass or as terrifying.<br/>Marie: Nope, I mean literally. They have shit lighting.<br/>Glenn: *offended gasps*<br/>-~-~-~-~-<br/>Glenn: ...rough around the edges, but good people overall. Come on, Marie, it's late and we have to get up early. *gets into the van with Marie*<br/>Merle: ...<br/>Daryl: ...<br/>Merle: ... we ain't heard shit.<br/>Daryl: *ducks his head and grunts*<br/>Merle: Ya know, Chinaman and Chinadoll ain't too bad.<br/>Daryl: *sighs before plopping down on his bedroll*<br/>Merle: They still idjits though.<br/>Daryl: Our idjits?<br/>Merle: Yer an idjit too.<br/>Daryl: ...<br/>Merle: Hell yeah they are.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Pre-Atlanta Incident 9 Days (pt1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It started with breakfast. Marie had made, at Glenn's pleading request, <em>omeulaiseu</em> -<em>omelet rice- </em>out of the leftover squirrel that she hadn't turned into jerky from two nights ago, rice and the last eggs she had. The Dixon brothers were enjoying the Asian style dish with gusto while Glenn had been happily halfway through his when the man, <em>Shane,</em> from last night approached their fire pit cockily.</p><p>"I see ya'll got fresh food. We haven' had anything like this since before the fall. Now that you're a part of our group, ya'll have to share all your resources with the group."</p><p>Marie shut her eyes as Merle practically exploded with all his pent-up rage, his breakfast <em>-really what remained of</em> it- was saved from meeting the dirt by Glenn's quick reflexes, "I don' <em>thin'</em> so pig! Ain't no reason why we's gotta share any o' our shit wit' a bunch interlopers!"</p><p>She one hundred billion percent agreed. Even <em>if</em> the raised voices and aggressive stances made Marie want the ground to swallow her up whole... a sentiment that was clearly reciprocated on Glenn's face, as they exchanged a nervous glance when they realized that the <em>entire </em>group of strangers from the night before was watching this exchange go down.</p><p>"Come off it. There's no reason for an explosive reaction, just stating a <em>fact.</em> The kids and most of the women haven' eaten in days. It's only <em>fair</em> that ya'll share what ya got with the group." Shane reiterated in a slow condescending voice, as if he were speaking to a particularly dim child. <em>Yeah, no.</em></p><p>"That's unfortunate," Marie stated bluntly as she placed her plate onto her brother's lap and stood up to be by Merle's side in a uniformed protest. "Maybe <em>you</em> all should have prepared better... because while I don't think it's right for <em>children</em> to go hungry, it's the job of their <em>parents</em> to provide for them."</p><p>Merle let out an amused guffaw and threw his meaty arm around Marie's shoulder in camaraderie, "Wha' Chinadoll said. This 'ere is our shit. We ain't <em>obligated</em> ta give ya anythin' at all."</p><p>A cold look entered the police officer's eyes, "Now, now. Relax. There's no need for you to attack us, I'm just lookin' to make sure everyone makes an equal contribution. And right now, you four are the only ones that didn't help out last night. It's not <em>right</em> that you're out here cooking up breakfast in plain sight where there are hungry children <em>and</em> women in the camp."</p><p>Indigent rage was starting to pinprick behind her skin. Merle removed his arm from around her as his fists clenched angrily and muscles tensed in preparation. "Jus' 'cause you assholes are campin' where we are, don' mean that ya'll a part a <em>our</em> group." Merle growled out, "Far as I see it, Daryl, Chinadoll and 'er brother are my <em>only</em> concern. We can fend fer ourselves."</p><p>Shane eye Marie incredulously, "And you're alright with this racist <em>redneck</em> calling you Chinadoll?"</p><p>"It's a nickname." Marie hissed out as a cold smile was painted across her face at the derogatory way Shane had spit out the word redneck, "I <em>like</em> it."</p><p>The man shook his head incredulously, "An' you're okay with this?" he asked her brother, who had stiffened with nerves -<em>he'd never been a confrontational being, her brother, that was why he hadn't put up much of fight or tried to mend bridges after their dad kicked him out... it'd been easier for Glenn just to avoid him-</em> and anger the more the police officer spoke. Marie had to swallow her tongue before she tore the man a new asshole, who the <em>fuck</em> did he think he was to disregard what she said so blatantly. <em>Sexist</em> <em>pig</em>.</p><p>Glenn glared at the older man from underneath the brim of his cap, "Well, <em>yeah."</em> he answered in a '<em>No, duh.</em>' tone, "My sister is a big girl, I don't control her. While I don't like the idea of <em>anyone</em> going hungry either, it wouldn't be <em>fair</em> to me, Marie <em>and</em> the Dixon's if we just gave over all our things <em>just</em> because you asked for it."</p><p>"That's a pretty selfish point isn't it?" Shane asked rhetorically as a vein in his neck jumped.</p><p>"We ain't givin' up <em>shit</em>! How many more times do we's gotta say it!" Merle growled angrily.</p><p>Daryl grunted as he placed his empty plate on the ground, "We don' even know you assholes." </p><p>"Shane." a thin nervous woman with long dark brown hair called out nervously, "We can't force them to do anything." A little boy, probably around ten years old was hovering behind the woman that Marie presumed was his mother. The boy was eyeing her unfinished plate of <em>omeulaiseu</em> hungrily. Marie forced the shame creeping up her spine not to show on her face as she realized that said hungry children were also a part of the group watching them.</p><p>Marie let out a steady breath and offered strongly, "Listen. My brother and I are good fishers, I'm also really good at foraging for edible plants. I don't mind giving up <em>some</em> of my catch so that the <em>kids</em> don't starve. Just... don't expect for us to give up all the things we've fought to have."</p><p>"Thank you." an older man wearing a fisherman's hat spoke up as he moved closer to where Shane was still squared up to fight, "We'd be really grateful."</p><p>"M a decent hunter." Daryl offered as he stood up, "Be willin' ta give some a my game fer the kids too."</p><p>Merle rolled his eyes in a brotherly fashion as he mumbled softly under his breath so that the strangers couldn't hear him, "Damn <em>soft</em> my lil' brotha. Hell am I do wit' 'is bleedin' heart." A small amused smile bloomed on the corner of her lips as she lightly smacked his bare arm -<em>both of the brothers had something against sleeves of </em>any<em> kind and had ripped them off their shirts with prejudice-</em> earning herself another eye roll from the oldest Dixon.</p><p>The tension in the air was slowly winding away. Marie shot a grin at the boy still partially hiding behind the brown-haired woman, "How many kids are in the group? I got a couple different types of jerky that they might be interested in to hold them over."</p><p>"There's my son, Carl." the woman spoke up gratefully as she rubbed the boy's arm, "Carol's daughter Sophia and the Morales children, Eliza and Louis."</p><p>Marie nodded as she searched for the other children. Two Latino kids were sitting with their parents by the firepit Marie and Glenn had made before they'd moved their camp closer to the Dixon's last night, there was a tall skinny preteen shyly clutching onto her mother a few paces away as well. "Well, kiddies, I got two basic types of jerky: fish or squirrel."</p><p>"Squirrel?" the boy closest to them, Carl, asked with his nose scrunched up in interest incredulously.</p><p>"Yup," Glenn pipped up in a cheerful manner, "Taste's <em>just</em> like chicken!" before mumbling under his breath, "Sort of."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 1241<br/>~-~-~-~-~-~<br/>-~-~-~-~-<br/>Marie is not taking any of Shane's crap...<br/>As soft as Daryl's bleeding heart is... I'd say Merle's is too, in a different more family-oriented way, wouldn't you?<br/>~-~-~-~-~-~<br/>-~-~-~-~-<br/>Merle: *grumbling under his breath non-stop*<br/>Marie: *sighs*<br/>Marie: Are you that annoyed that we offered to help feed the kids in the other group?<br/>Merle: *grumbling intensifies*<br/>Glenn: *shuffles nervously on his feet before leaning closer to Marie and whispers* It sounds like he's putting us under an ancient curse.<br/>Marie: *deadpans*<br/>Merle: A don' need ta curse ya, yer doin' a fine job a digging yerselves inta a hole!<br/>Daryl: *sighs loudly*<br/>Merle: Don' even start wit' me Darylina! *grumbles become inaudiable*</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Pre-Atlanta Incident 9 Days (pt2)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The afternoon was only marginally better. And that was because the other group was mostly avoiding them, well barring T-Dog who wasn't afraid to talk to her and Glenn. Marie could see it already, these strangers had labeled the Dixon brothers as volatile and somehow unworthy of their time. They weren't treating Marie or Glenn much better either. More than one person had been offended when she refused to stockpile their supplies with the others.</p>
<p>If she hadn't been there, Marie was a hundred percent certain that they would have been able to cajole her big brother into conforming to their demands. Because despite dropping out of college and refusing to go back, resulting in his estranged relationship with their parents, Glenn was a natural people pleaser. Although, Glenn <em>was</em> one of the most loyal individuals she'd ever met as well...he wouldn't have let the sheriff's deputy, as she heard Shane was, steamroll over the redneck brothers that'd become their friends.</p>
<p>Either way, Daryl had gone off hunting as soon as they finished eating breakfast and told them that he wouldn't be back until the evening. Glenn was out fishing on the lake by himself since Marie had decided she would instead forage the five-mile radius around their camp for edible greens. Merle had opted to stay behind in the camp and in his words '<em>Watch our shit, 'cause them shifty-eyed fuckers ain't look away from yer van an' trailer. Fuckers ain't gonna be stealin' nothin' if they know wha's goo' fer 'em</em>.' Marie couldn't blame him for being cautious either. Shane looked close to storming through their campsite if they so much as left it unattended... no matter <em>what</em> they had said earlier. Merle was a good deterrent, with his mean scowl as he cleaned out one of his guns and muttered curses under his breath.</p>
<p>When Marie set out to forage, she'd decided to bring the foldable wagon they generally used to bring water up from the lake so that she wouldn't have to manually carry everything she found on her way. She placed some gardening tools, a water bottle in case she got thirsty, arrows, and three of the orange five-gallon buckets into the wagon to separate the plants she found by the categories: medicinal, edible, and other. Her recurve bow was also carefully slung onto her back while a hunting knife -<em>in case she came across a biter and needed a weapon to protect herself with-</em> was strapped onto her leg where her compass was. Overall, Marie was pretty content with her finds. She'd found a patch of edible wild mushrooms, an elderberry bush that she picked clean, a large amount of chickweed, and a lot more!</p>
<p>Marie literally did a happy jig when she came across a couple patches of <em>plantago</em> <em>major</em>, or broadleaf plantain growing in a small sunny patch not obscured by the tall trees. The plantain was probably her favorite find of the afternoon because not only could it be eaten but it's medical properties are <em>amazing</em>. It has antiseptic, coagulant, expectorant, anti-inflammatory, and nephrotic properties, a near-miraculous ability to stop bleeding and heal small cuts, scrapes, burns, and stings. She plucked a bunch of leaves before deciding to carefully dig up two of the plantains root and all to plant them in the bucket that had a crack in it because the plant was located the farthest away from the camp and had been difficult to get to.</p>
<p>The chickweed she found is pretty much also on the same level as the plantain when it comes to its medicinal powers, but since the chickweed was more abundant -<em>and a lot closer to camp</em>- Marie decided that they would be eating that first while she turned the majority of the plantain into salves. Especially since Merle was somewhat accident-prone despite all of his claims that he wasn't. The man turned up with a new cut every half hour! She couldn't wait to apply the salve to his nastier cuts, hopefully, he wouldn't put up too much of an argument.</p>
<p>In the more barren and rocky area close by to the lake in the quarry, Marie had spotted a thicket of spoonleaf yucca. As a class 2 edible, Marie knew that only certain parts of the plant are safe for consumption or has to be cooked in order to be eaten. Yucca roots in Georgia are <em>not</em> edible -<em>and definitely should not be mistaken with yuca or cassava</em>- and will make people sick and vomit everywhere if eaten. However, the roots could be used to make natural <em>soap, </em>by either crushing the root or diffusing it in water. Since it was near summer already the edible flower stalk that emerges during early spring had already dried up becoming the best drill spindle in the world for their firepit. It had taken Marie a good hour and a half to harvest what she wanted from the tough plant.</p>
<p>Marie received more than a few odd looks as her dirt clad form pulled a wagon of what could pass for weeds by an untrained eye. Though she did spy Carl eyeing her recurve bow and arrows over her shoulder admiringly, though he was quickly distracted by his mother when it looked like he would approach her. Marie shot the preteen a smile anyway, which earned her a wide one back and rosy cheeks. He was pretty adorable when he didn't have that solemn look on his face.</p>
<p>"Well, Chinadoll, ya don' look too much like a doll 'ight now." Merle chortled as he slowly sipped from a cold bottle of beer. Marie was fifty percent sure that the reason why the man had warmed up to her so fast was because she let him store some of his beer inside the cooler in the trailer. "Been rollin' 'round in the mud?"</p>
<p>"Actually Merle, only <em>briefly</em> when I tripped!" she chirruped with a wide smile as the man eyed her muddy jeans and laughed. "I found a lot of useful stuff. I'm gonna make a slave for the cut you got on your forearm yesterday." she gestured to said nasty looking gash.</p>
<p>Merle rolled his eyes, "Stop fussin' girl, ain't nothin' tha's gonna kill, ol' Merle now."</p>
<p>She snorted, "Well, I want ol' Merle to live forever and <em>not</em> get an infection... so please don't fight me on this."</p>
<p>"Fine." Merle grunted, "Deputy Dumbass came 'round 'bout an hour ago. Wanted ta know more 'bout yer van, Chinadoll. Fuckin' Dog-man flapped 'is fuckin' lips."</p>
<p>Marie winced, "Right, well, um, good job scaring him away. I don't like Shane." she stated before letting out a few whispered curses in Korean, "<em>Gahoghan saekki, uli sa-eob-eseo geuui geodaehan koleul mag-aya hae.</em>"</p>
<p>"Chi-cha maka-haiya! Girl talk 'n English, don' speak no fuckin' Chinese." Merle grumbled.</p>
<p>Giggles burst from her lips, "Aww, are you jealous, Merle? And I don't speak <em>Chinese</em>, I'm Korean."</p>
<p>"China, Korea same thin.' Why woul' I be jealous Chinadoll. 'M a proud redneck fr'm da South."</p>
<p>Marie sent him a teasing grin and a wink, "Well, 'cause you'll never know if me and Glenn are talking shit about <em>you</em> or someone else when we speak Korean."</p>
<p>"Shut up." he grunted with a grin, "I don' need ta know <em>Chinese</em> ta speak shit 'bout anyone. Do it 'ight to ya face."</p>
<p>Glenn received a much warmer welcome by the others when he appeared with two full lines of fish thirty minutes later. Though her brother only awkwardly smiled for a few moments before practically <em>running</em> to their camp. By that point, she had washed the elderberries, chickweed, plantain leaves and wild mushrooms which were now in the fridge until it was time to make dinner, had replanted the two plantain plants into the cracked bucket and was about to start attacking the yucca when she caught sight of her flushed brother.</p>
<p>"Nice catch!" she complimented.</p>
<p>The older Rhee shot her a smile, "I gave one of the lines of fish to the other women, I think we'll only eat maybe the three crappies and the small bluegill tonight. Can you turn the drum into jerky again? I liked that one. The others can be frozen."</p>
<p>"Yeah no problem, but you boys need to de-bone them. I'm making soap... because we <em>stink</em> and I'm tired of everyone smelling like armpit." she huffed. They'd been so careful about conserving their soap, shampoo, and detergents, but with the yucca roots now supplementing their reserves... Well, Marie was washing her fucking hair tonight.</p>
<p>Merle <em>cackled.</em></p>
<p>When Daryl showed up ten minutes to sundown, with a rabbit and six squirrels tied to his belt, and covered in dirt and sweat Glenn and Merle were <em>still</em> giggling -<em>'Men don' giggle Chinadoll, we chuckle.'</em>- about her armpit comment. It didn't help when Daryl asked what '<em>the hell's so funny</em>,' since it only set them off once more. It honestly wasn't <em>that</em> funny.</p>
<p><em>Boys</em>.</p>
<hr/>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 1539<br/>~-~-~-~-~</p>
<p>So... I went all plant knowledge on you guys... all true by the way. I am now obsessed with the yucca plant. We have a couple in our front lawn. I never knew that that demonic point thing was so useful... I'm adding a link for a webpage where I got the majority of my knowledge, in case anyone wants to check it out for themselves or see some pictures on how mother nature's useful bounty looks like. -I think I said that weird, *shrugs* oh well.-</p>
<p>https://www.sarcraft.com/news/tag/edible+plants+in+Georgia</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Pre-Atlanta Incident 8 Days (pt1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The campers were less wary of Marie and Glenn the next day. Glenn because of all the fish he'd given them the day before. And Maire because she'd been kind enough to share the frozen elderberries she'd prepared as a dessert. Originally she'd planned on only sharing them with the kids but ended up taking pity on some of the other adults that had eyed the frozen treat with plain want. Merle called her a softy, but he certainly wasn't complaining when she gave some to him.</p>
<p>Marie turned only one of Daryl's squirrels into jerky for him to carry around while hunting. The rest of them and the rabbit, after being gutted by the brothers, of course, were given to the larger group to tide them over for the morning. Daryl had left to go hunting once more as soon as they finished eating breakfast. Merle was antsy all morning. Before Daryl left he'd pulled her to side and whispered that they'd run out of Merle's Paroxetine and that the older Dixon had hidden it for the last two days. Marie was concerned. Apparently, the older Dixon had been on the anti-depressant to treat his PTSD after being honorably discharged from the military seven years ago.</p>
<p>Daryl hadn't wanted to go hunting at all, he was more concerned over how his brother would be able to handle the lack of meds <em>and</em> the stressful addition of the nosy group now camping with them in the quarry. Marie couldn't blame him for his worry. Especially not after Daryl confessed that the last time they hadn't been able to get Merle's prescription the elder Dixon's mental health had taken a violent down whirl spiral. Merle had lashed out towards Daryl and their Uncle Jessie before it'd led to more self-destructive behavior... like the really <em>not</em> legal drugs that Merle had hidden in the seat of his motorcycle.</p>
<p>The younger Dixon had looked <em>more</em> than a little embarrassed when he admitted that Merle had a large stash of illegal substances on hand, before straightening and stating strongly that Merle hadn't used in over a year. They had however come across the 'goods' the day before they'd arrived at the quarry when they came across a drug dealing gone wrong in the form of an overwhelming amount of biters. Merle had taken the abandoned drugs after claiming that when civilization fell '<em>It'll be as goo' as gold baby brotha!</em>' Daryl was afraid that the temptation to use it for himself would eat away at Merle until he gave in... <em>especially</em> without his antidepressant to help balance him.</p>
<p>In the end, though, Daryl <em>had</em> gone hunting... especially after Shane <em>mother</em> <em>fucking</em> Walsh invited himself into their area and stated that the meat from the squirrels and the rabbit had been '<em>much appreciated an' all, but people would go hungry tonight without fresh game.' </em>Marie hadn't liked -<em>not one freaking bit-</em> how he'd looked down on her and Glenn's offer to catch some fish for the children to eat, claiming that they'd had fish last night and that he '<em>wouldn't want them to get bored.'</em> Asshole. Just making sure none of them go <em>hungry</em> should be enough for him and everyone else at the camp. The only reason Daryl agreed was so that Walsh would leave before Merle snapped and start swinging his fists.</p>
<p>Still, anti-depressants weren't something to be played around with, and being suddenly cut off like Merle was... well, not <em>fucking</em> good. But it wasn't like they could drive down to the pharmacy and pick it up.</p>
<p>Or could they?</p>
<p>Glenn grunted morosely making Marie look up to him in question, "I don't like that look on your face. I <em>know</em> that look on your face. Stop making it."</p>
<p>She rolled her eyes before leaning towards her brother and whispering in a soft voice, "Do you think that we could make a run to a pharmacy?"</p>
<p>"What?" he gasped out lowly, "<em>Why</em>? No, what?"</p>
<p>"I need to pick up a prescription."</p>
<p>Glenn's eyes were wide and incredulous as he stared her down and hissing in an equally quiet voice, "Marie we literally bought a shit-ton of things at the pharmacy the night before we left, what could you possibly <em>need</em> that we don't already have?"</p>
<p>A low sigh escaped from her before she grabbed his shirt sleeve and dragged him into the van and slid the door shut. "Merle ran out of his anti-depressants two days ago. Daryl's worried that Merle is gonna get more volatile without it to help curb his PTSD. The only thing I can think of doing is going to a pharmacy and grabbing it. It's not like we'll have to pay for shit anymore and... Merle really <em>needs</em> it before he starts lashing out."</p>
<p>Her brother winced at the thought of an angry Merle Dixon that wouldn't be able to curb his impulses, "Okay, okay, yeah... I can see how that's a <em>legitimate</em> concern." he conceded as he plopped down on the black pull-out couch and removed the cap from his head and began nervously rubbing the back of his hair. Not two seconds later he abruptly stood up and pulled the tarp open that separated the front from the back and came back with one of their maps. "Alright, look, right here. Three miles away there's a pharmacy called Comfort Flower, on the end of the street there's a family store too where we could grab groceries for everyone... hopefully, they'll back off a bit if we come back with enough shit for everyone."</p>
<p>Marie nodded, "Alright, what does the rest of the neighborhood look like?"</p>
<p>"It's not too crowded, the surrounding area is under construction so there aren't any apartment buildings there right now... a couple of single-story homes, but that's it. Theoretically, there shouldn't be too many biters around there since there aren't any big department stores." Glenn traced the route they would take with his finger, "It used to be about a seven-minute drive this way."</p>
<p>"Let's do this. We'll have to borrow someone else's car though." Marie pointed out, "We can't risk losing the van and all of our supplies if we're in a tight spot and need to run."</p>
<p>Glenn let out an agreeing grunt as he stood up and folded the map into a pocket in his jeans, "I'll ask T-Dog if he could lend us the church van."</p>
<p>"Kay," she agreed as she followed him out, "I'm gonna let Merle know where we're going, hopefully, he'll watch our campsite for us." Marie informed her determined brother before making her way to the Dixon's tent and quietly calling out, "Merle, are you there?"</p>
<p>She could hear fabric shuffling from inside the tent before Merle unzipped it, "Wha's wron' Chinadoll?"</p>
<p>Marie shot the man smile as she crouched down so she wouldn't be standing above him while she gave her request, "Nothing, I just wanted to ask if you could keep an eye on the van again while we're gone."</p>
<p>"Where ya goin'?" Merle asked suspiciously as he narrowed his eyes, "Deputy Dumbass said tha' ya didn' need ta fish. Goin' foragin' 'gain?"</p>
<p>"Nah," she shook her head, "Glenn and I are going on a run three miles from here. There's a small supermarket and pharmacy that could have some worthwhile supplies. We were thinking that if we brought enough preservatives they won't pressure Daryl into going hunting again." Marie explained straightforwardly, purposefully leaving out the <em>real</em> reason for the excursion in case Merle would get pissed off that the Rhee siblings now knew he was on anti-depressants. People were -<em>not really-</em> surprisingly touchy about that.</p>
<p>Merle hummed, "Chinaman's sure it's safe fer ya to go wit' him?"</p>
<p>"He can't keep me from going with him Merle, it was <em>my</em> idea in the <em>first</em> place." Marie rolled her eyes good-naturedly, "We shouldn't be gone too long, maybe an hour or two. Is there anything you or Daryl need that we could grab for you?"</p>
<p>"Nah." Merle grunted after a moment, "Jus' grab any cigarettes ya fin'... maybe 'nother case a beer if ya can. How ya two gonna git there if ya not takin' the van?"</p>
<p>"Glenn's borrowing T-Dog's van." she explained, not really that surprised that Merle hadn't mentioned needing Paroxetine, before offering her keys, "Feel free to hang out in the van while we're gone. Turn on the AC if you get hot, it's powered by the solar panels on the roof... Thanks, Merle. You're doing me a solid by watching our stuff. If you weren't here, well I wouldn't trust the others not to ransack our stuff." she shrugged sheepishly before shooting the older man a grateful smile.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 1530</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Pre-Atlanta Incident 8 Days (pt2)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Merle took the keys after a moment of hesitation, his expression was strange as if he couldn't believe that Marie was fully trusting <em>him</em> with her precious van, "Righ', well, don' do somethin' stupid like get bit." he said after a moment, "I'll hol' down the fort while ya a gone."</p>
<p>"Thanks." Marie chirruped before standing up, grabbing her drawing glove, recurve bow and arrows as she went and turning to go find her brother... Not before waving 'goodbye' one last time at the still struck redneck. When she <em>did</em> find Glenn he was in the middle of a tiny crowd of the strangers looking somewhat overwhelmed, "What's happening here?" Marie questioned as reached his side.</p>
<p>Glenn shot her a grateful look, "Um, word got around that we're making a run..."</p>
<p>"Okay," she nodded hesitatingly before looking at Shane, when was the former deputy never <em>not</em> around, "Is there a problem with that?"</p>
<p>"Nah, we'd just be mighty grateful if ya'll could grab supplies for the group as well."</p>
<p>Marie eyed her brother out of the corner of her eye before looking back at the man who'd become the defacto-leader of the others, "Oh, um, we were already planning on it. We're not heading into the city though, only checking out a small pharmacy and grocery store... so, um, we may not find a lot of stuff."</p>
<p>"We'd be grateful for anything really." Carl's mother, Lori as she'd overheard her respond to, piped up. "Especially any feminine products, some of the other women have been asking."</p>
<p>Her brother shuffled on his feet awkwardly making Marie smack his arm softly in reprimand, "Oh, ah, definitely." Glenn nodded. Marie rolled her eyes.</p>
<p>"No worries, I'll make sure to grab some." she reassured the woman before turning to her brother, "What did T-Dog say, can we borrow his van?"</p>
<p>"Yeah," T-Dog, whom she hadn't actually seen until he spoke up, "Yeah, feel free to use it, already gave Glenn the keys. Morales and the others have emptied out a couple of bags for you guys to bring supplies with and put 'em in the back."</p>
<p>"Thanks." Glenn stated before looking at Marie questioningly, "Ready to go?"</p>
<p>Marie only nodded before the siblings headed to the vehicle in question and strapped in. In the back of her mind, Marie was more than a little annoyed that no one else offered to accompany them. Most of the people in the camp -<em>baring herself, Glenn, Daryl who she had learned had just turned twenty-nine in January, the four kids, and this blonde chick she'd seen having around one of the RV's</em>- were all at least in their mid-thirties or older. Cowards. The whole lot of them. She was happy when Glenn finally pulled out of the campsite and started heading out of the quarry since their departure had turned into something of a spectacle.</p>
<p>"Well... that was <em>intense.</em>" Glenn piped up after a moment as he pulled onto a freeway that was surprisingly not jammed with abandoned cars. Marie nodded.</p>
<p>"Yeah... <em>Oppa</em> you have to stand up for yourself more." she complained, "It's one thing not to like confrontation and another to let those people walk all over you!"</p>
<p>The weary sigh that escaped from Glenn was telling, "I know, I know... I'll try."</p>
<p>It took them twenty minutes to arrive in front of the pharmacy. Like Glenn had predicted the streets of the little town were mostly clear, these people must have been the first to believe in evacuating to the city for refuge. Still, Marie held her recurve bow in a resting position as they cautiously shut the van doors behind them as they approached the abandoned-looking pharmacy. Glenn tugged on the straps of the two duffle bags on his back anxiously in front of her as they quietly observed the quiet street. The glass door had been left opened and Marie could see some general mess on the floors indicating that whoever had come before them had left in a hurry.</p>
<p>Glenn shot her a nervous look before he cautiously stood in the doorway and let out a low whistle to trick any biters hiding to come out. Marie stood behind him, her bow taut as she pulled back on the string with an arrow in preparation. Silence, nothing moved. Glenn let out another whistle and when nothing changed entered the building first. The siblings quickly inspected the aisles and perimeter of the pharmacy before meeting back in the front and whispering that it was clear of the dead.</p>
<p>Marie immediately sent her brother to the feminine hygiene section before she headed towards the back where there were bottles stacked up in shelves. <em>Paroxetine. Paroxetine. Paroxetine. </em>Was the only thought on her mind as she scoured the shelves. Found it!</p>
<p>Daryl had said that Merle was on the highest dosage of <em>Paroxetine</em>, 50 mgs, but she figured she would just grab all of the Paroxetine bottles and they'd sort them out when they weren't in a stressful situation. She only hesitated for a moment before tossing all of the other anti-depressants into the satchel she had on, after all, what would happen when they ran out of Paroxetine? Marie <em>would</em> need to figure out the correct dosage amount to give Merle when the time came and they couldn't find his prescription anymore, but that was a problem for the <em>future </em>Marie to figure out.</p>
<p>She decided to take advantage of the mostly full shelves and started grabbing all of the moxifloxacin, oxycodone, prednisolone, diazepam, acetaminophen, Ciprofloxacin, and any other pills that would be useful in the long run before going to where she'd last seen Glenn. Her brother had moved to the over the counter medication section of the pharmacy. Marie quickly started tossing all the medication she could reach into her brother's open duffle bag, Glenn only shot her a bemused glance as she started throwing all of the Pepto Bismol tablets into the bag. Sue her, she didn't want the reason people started dropping dead around her to be related to diarrhea. Shit, she should grab some oral hydration solution while she was at it.</p>
<p>The siblings grabbed a couple of premade first aid and sewing kits before Marie decided to grab all the candy at the cashier area to give to the kids. She grabbed the few packs of cigarette's behind the counter and dumped them in her satchel for Merle. After that, they carefully made their way back to the van and carefully deposited their finds before strapping back into the vehicle. They had decided on the ride into the town that they wouldn't walk down the street to the grocery store if they could avoid it. The street was still early vacant and quiet, making Marie feel more than a little antsy.</p>
<p>The grocery store had been a bit more ransacked than the pharmacy had been... and this time they <em>did</em> find two geeks wearing the store's uniform in the back room. Glenn had to open it a crack so that she could stab them in the head with the hunting knife. Marie would probably cry about it later when they were home- well the quarry.</p>
<p>After that, the siblings split up once more. Glenn went straight for the canned goods aisle while she grabbed two of the handheld grocery baskets and went to inspect the fresh produce section to pick out vegetables that hadn't gone bad such yet. They'd come a bit too late to get anything really good when it came to the fresh greens but Marie still grabbed whatever wasn't too bad before placing the full basket down by the door and going to the baking aisle. She grabbed all of the premade cake/cornbread/cookie boxes, baking soda, yeast, sugar, cornmeal before simply deciding to load it in the van so she could go back for the five bags of powdered milk and three bags of flour. While she was at it she added the basket she'd left at the door.</p>
<p>Glenn had made three or so trips back to the van to deposit the buttload of cans he scavenged and the five bags of rice. A couple of pans and barbeque essentials had been added to the supplies for those in the quarry that didn't have any. Dish soap and herbs had also made the cut. Thankfully the majority of the packaged bread hadn't gone bad yet so that made it into the van as well. A new case of cup-noodles was thrown in the back as well before the siblings decided that they would grab the rest of the pasta and sauce in the store and call it a day... Of course, not before Marie grabbed two cases of beer for Merle.</p>
<p>They'd been at it for over three hours already and Merle was probably wondering where they were by now since Marie <em>had</em> told him the latest they would take is two hours.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 1533</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Pre-Atlanta Incident 8 Days (pt3)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It took them a bit longer to get back to the quarry because a group of over ten geeks was blocking their exit so they'd had to go around, but they got to the quarry just as the sun started setting on the horizon. Heads turned in their direction and a crowd had gathered around them before Glenn had even finished parking.</p>
<p>"Holy shit!" Shane crowed as he took a peek a the back seat of the van as Glenn turned the engine off.</p>
<p>Marie hopped out of the van and was quickly followed by her brother as the crowd practically swarmed the van. "Hey! Wait, wait!" she protested as someone opened the back door and started rifling through the stuff. "Stop! Hey! We need to distribute everythin-" her voice couldn't be heard over the practically shouting people as they ravaged through the all the things she and Glenn had spent all fucking day getting.</p>
<p>"Hey!" Glenn tried to shout over the crowd as Marie was roughly shoved into him, "No pushing! Wait a minute!"</p>
<p>A fight was breaking out as one asshole claimed that the beers she'd gotten for Merle were his, Shane immediately tried to futilely calm the situation. Frustrated tears were starting to build up in her eyes. <em>What the hell?</em> These people were so fucking selfish. A gunshot sounded over their heads making people scatter and <em>finally</em> shut the hell up.</p>
<p>"Ya'll fuckin' kiddin' me!?" Merle growled out, his shotgun now aimed towards the people, "Glenn an' Marie go through th' fuckin' trouble ta brin' back supplies ta share wit' ya useless fuckers an' this how ya'll repay 'em? Push 'em outta yer way an' try ta grab all the shit they brough' back fer yourselves?"</p>
<p>The fucking mob had been brought back to reality at that, some of them now staring at the Rhee siblings in a guilty fashion. Shane ripped the case of beer out of the hands of the fat asshole that had started one of the arguments in the front and glared the man down into submission. Merle hadn't stopped pointing the intimidating shotgun at the group of people as his scowl deepened.</p>
<p>"Hell naw! You fuckers gonna back th' hell off 'fore I open fire on yer asses!" he barked making a few people cry out in fear and flinch back at the hard look in Merle's eyes, the man was dead serious, "Chinaman an' his sistah gonna distribute whatevah th' hell they wanna <em>share</em> wit' you an' ya'll ain't gonna complain! Ya hear me? I ain't 'fraid ta shoot yer asses!"</p>
<p>The older man approached the crowd making them part for him as he came to stand by the Rhee siblings in a protective manner before the three of them pushed forward and made it to the open doors of the van. Marie was trying to hide her trembling hands as she grabbed her satchel bag, that'd thankfully remained closed, and pulled it over her shoulder. There was no way in hell that she was going to let any of these fucking <em>animals</em> see that she had a plethora of meds on her.</p>
<p>"N-Now," Glenn started a bit nervously, "We, uh, got a lotta stuff to share with everyone. And we're gonna distribute it <em>fairly."</em></p>
<p>"Hell we gotta listen ta ya!" the fat prick that'd fought with Shane for the case of beer protested.</p>
<p>"I didn't see ya volunteer to get supplies!" Shane protested this time as he stood in front of the crowd, "Now back the hell up!"</p>
<p>Glenn nodded, "Right, <em>so</em>, Marie and I already agreed that the families with children will be priority."</p>
<p>"Yeah, goo' I wan' tha' beer!" the man, who really seemed to not be getting the point, blurted out like a child throwing a tantrum.</p>
<p>Merle stepped forward making the man flinch back, "Yeah, people in hell want slurpees, an' tha' ain't happenin'. 'Sides tha' beer's mines, righ' Chinadoll?"</p>
<p>"Right." Marie agreed before turning to glare at the furious man, "Kids don't drink beer anyway. And if your kid is, that just means you're a shit parent."</p>
<p>"Okay, um," Glenn started as he shuffled on his feet, "listen up, you need to give us an hour or so to take inventory of what we scavenged. We didn't have much time to really go through what we carried. When Daryl gets back, er, you guys could make a chili for everyone to share. But I think everything else should be distributed on a 'needs-based' basis."</p>
<p>"<em>Kids</em> are going to be our obvious priority," Marie spoke up loudly, "So, I don't want people coming up to us demanding things."</p>
<p>"Tha's right!" Merle crowed, "Chinadoll an' Chinaman don' gotta share shit wit' you! They jus' too soft ta let 'em kids go hungry. But I'm not soft like these two!" he warned, "I see ya harassin' 'em and we's gonna have a problem."</p>
<p>Shane nodded in agreement, something that surprised the ever-living shit out of Marie, as he handed the case of beer to Glenn, "We aren't animals! We wanna survive, we gotta do this <em>together</em>." he stated before starting to shoo people away, "Get back to what you were doing, let's go!"</p>
<p>Glenn exchanged a surprised look with Marie before both siblings turned to Merle gratefully, "Thanks, Merle. Things were getting really intense back there."</p>
<p>Merle grunted, "Bunch a weak ass pussies didn' have no claim on yer loot... but damn, you two did <em>good</em>."</p>
<p>Marie giggled nervously as she picked up the other case of beer and handed it to Merle, "Yup. Here. You better bring these to our camp. I'll wait here for you to come back." the men nodded as they walked away. Marie spotted Lori sitting by their old firepit with Carl before calling out to her, "Hey Lori, could you come here?"</p>
<p>The woman nodded, though she threw a nervous look at where Merle and Glenn had gone, "You need something?"</p>
<p>She shot the brunette a weary smile as she opened the duffle bag with the hygiene items and placed one of the packages of tampons in the other's hand. "Could you send over the other women who said they needed?"</p>
<p>"No problem." Lori grinned as she called for a woman named Andrea. Carl who'd followed his mother to the van was staring at her curiously as he eyed the contents of the van curiously. Marie smiled at the little boy and gestured for him to come closer before subtly grabbing a Hershey's chocolate bar from the duffle bag and handing it to him.</p>
<p>"Do you like chocolate?"</p>
<p>"Yeah!" he gasped gratefully as he stared at the bar with wonder, "Thanks!"</p>
<p>"No problem." she smiled before grabbing three more bars, "Here, can you give these to the other kids for me?"</p>
<p>"Okay!" Carl chirped as he grabbed the bars and ran towards the Morales siblings.</p>
<p>When Daryl got back to the quarry an hour later the Rhee siblings and Merle were pretty much done taking inventory. Marie had moved her satchel, bow and arrows, the basket with the small amount of fresh food, the duffle bag with hygiene products and the over the counter drugs into the safety of her van when the boys had gotten back from propping the beer down. The younger Dixon had shot all three of them surprised looks, especially since the van with supplies was pretty much in the center of the other group's camp. He gave Lori and the woman named Carol, who was the mother of the blonde preteen named Sophia, the line of squirrel and the two rabbits he's gotten.</p>
<p>Daryl wasn't very amused when he found out that the Rhee siblings had gone on a run all on their own. He especially wasn't happy either when Merle recounted the swarm of ungrateful survivors that'd mobbed the van when they arrived either. Daryl kept sending the others dark looks when he learned that they had begun pushing Glenn and Marie out of their way to claim the loot for themselves. Marie had Glenn move two bags of the rice and flour, the majority of the cake mixes -<em>since no one else actually had a stove except for her, Dale and the Morales family and well, they had more space to keep things</em>- and general baking supplies into their trailer for safekeeping.</p>
<p>The packaged bread was split up between them, Dale and Morales for safekeeping only <em>-once again they had fridges-</em> but would be split up for all the group to enjoy for the next coming days. Everything else they found would be distributed to the other group. Later in the evening after everyone had eaten, the women had made a nice chili with the meat Daryl had brought and the cans of beans from the grocery store so no one had gone to sleep hungry, Marie pulled Daryl to the side and invited him into the van for a moment.</p>
<p>He looked at her strangely as she rifled through the satchel before she pulled out the 50 mgs of Paroxetine and tossed it to him. Daryl was quiet for a moment as he stared at the bottle with disbelief before his eyes snapped up to look at her.</p>
<p>"I got enough to last us <em>months</em>. But whenever we find a pharmacy we should grab more so that we don't run out." Marie stated as she started unbraiding her messy hair, she was <em>so</em> taking a shower tonight. Her sweaty clothes were clinging onto her skin in the uncomfortably, even if the AC in the van felt nice against her flushed skin.</p>
<p>"Y-You, did ya go on a run jus' 'cause of <em>this</em>?" he blurted.</p>
<p>Her eyebrows scrunched up at the question, "Well... <em>yeah</em>. You said it was important for Merle. After I told Glenn, sorry about that, he agreed and we went to the closest pharmacy that wasn't in the city." Daryl was quiet as he stared at her with an expression she couldn't decipher. Marie shuffled on her feet awkwardly, "What? Is there something on my face?"</p>
<p>"Nah." he mumbled as he rubbed his face, his expression soft, "Jus,' thank you."</p>
<p>Marie smiled at him, "No problem."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 1736</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Pre-Atlanta Incident 7 Days (pt1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next day... was <em>different</em>.</p>
<p>The women of the group were acting a lot friendlier with Marie now. Throughout the day a bunch of them had stopped by to thank her for the feminine products she'd brought. A blonde nineteen-year-old named Amy, who was at the camp with her older sister Andrea and the old man, Dale, who'd picked them up on the highway, approached her first thing in the morning just to start up a conversation. The younger girl had been thoroughly impressed by Marie's foraging skills and was eager to learn more about it herself.</p>
<p>She was willing to teach the younger blonde, especially since she was planning on going foraging anyway while it wasn't too hot yet. Of course, right before they were supposed to head out the mothers in the group found out what she was doing and cajoled Marie to take the children as well... And well, Marie was a bit of a pushover when it came to children. So now she had one teenager, three preteens, and one child under the age of nine loudly following her into the foliage around the camp.</p>
<p>Marie stopped as she came across some more chickweed and crouched down, "Okay, look, this is called chickweed. It's a superstar plant because it's really tasty and can be used to make medicine."</p>
<p>The Morales' youngest child, Louis, was the first to eagerly crouch down and begin pulling some of the plant into the buckets she'd given each of the kids before they set off. Louis was quickly followed by the rest of them as they all began to carefully pick the plant under Marie's watch. Marie picked a leaf and chewed it, before telling the kids to try it for themselves.</p>
<p>"It's not bad..." Carl stated surprisingly.</p>
<p>"Why is it called chickweed?" Amy piped up curiously after a moment.</p>
<p>"Hmm," Marie smiled, "The scientific name is <em>stellaria media</em> but people like to call it chickweed because poultry, especially chicken, <em>love</em> it."</p>
<p>"Really?" Eliza giggled.</p>
<p>"Yup." Marie nodded. Not two minutes later they came to a stop when Sophia let out an excited giggle as she spotted a purple flower, "Nice eye, Sophia!" she praised making the gangly preteen flush prettily. "Sophia has found violets, everything above ground is edible, see these leaves," she indicated as the kids all crouched to get a better look, "they're even more healthy than spinach! The flower and the leaves can be used to make medicine too. Now when we pick the violets, guys, be careful not to pull it out roots and all, because we <em>can't </em>eat the roots, okay, we'll get sick. Now where there's one violet there's usually a lot more so let's take a careful look around to see if we can spot some."</p>
<p>Sophia was practically preening as the other's gave the preteen appreciative looks and compliments, especially after she found a whole patch of the violets in a shady spot. "Why don't the violets like the sun?" the twelve-year-old asked curiously as they finished picking all of the violets in the area.</p>
<p>"Yeah, don't flowers like the sun?" Eliza piped up curiously.</p>
<p>"Not these ones, they like the shade, they get too hot under the sun just like me." she winked conspiratorially making the younger ones giggle and Amy shoot them all an amused grin. "Come on guys, let's get going, get you guys back to your moms. Since you've all been so good... I'll definitely tell them that I'll need your help again later, especially you Sophia." making the girl blush and smile widely.</p>
<p>As the approached the camp, the kids with wide smiles and buckets full of what most people would call really annoying lawn weeds, Amy questioned, "You said that these plants could be turned into medicine right? How?"</p>
<p>All of the kids seemed vaguely interested in her answer, "Well, salves or a poultice, which are like these pastes, are the easiest way to go. They can treat lots of things, like insect bites, or burns if you get to close to the fire and even eczema. The violets can be turned into a tea to help you if you got a tummy ache and the chickweed, like I told you a superstar pant, and can turn into a lot more useful medicines."</p>
<p>"That's pretty cool." Carl admitted, "I didn't think flowers could do so many things."</p>
<p>"Not many people do." Marie agreed, "With modern medicine and pharmaceuticals, that's pills, lots of people stopped thinking that plants were important. But plant life is what kept all of our ancestors alive when they were cavepeople or even the Native Americans alive too before America was colonized."</p>
<p>"Cool!" Louis whispered before taking off into a run when he spotted his mother, Eliza was hot on his heels before surpassing him as they shouted "Mom!" gleefully and began babbling about all the things they learned. Once Sophia and carl found their respective mothers they ran off to tell them all the things they learned as well.</p>
<p>Said mothers, looked at Marie gratefully for keeping their kids entertained for the last hour and teaching them some useful survival skills. Before the kids could all disperse she called them over once more, "Okay, one last thing, this is the most important part, okay so listen up." she stated seriously, "You guys can pick all the flowers and plants you like as long as your mama's know where you are and you have their permission, <em>but</em>, you need to promise me that you'll show me what you find before you put <em>anything</em> in your mouths."</p>
<p>"Why?" Carl questioned curiously, his head tilted to the side.</p>
<p>"Because sometimes plants can be tricky. It's hard to tell the difference sometimes between a good plant and a bad one. That's why you need to show me what you find. I don't want any of you to get sick. Alright?" she explained seriously earning solemn nods and promises to show Marie everything they found, "Okay good. You guys did a very good job today, so you've all earned the titles... 'junior foragers.' Once you guys are done showing your mama's all that you've done come find me and we'll make some medicine out of the violets, alright? But ask your mama's first, if it's alright."</p>
<p>That earned her eager murmurs from the children before they all ran back to their bemused moms. Amy hadn't moved from her spot beside her and gently nudged Marie with her shoulder. "That was nice of you." the blonde offered, "Do you think we can go back and look for some more things?"</p>
<p>Marie nodded, "In a little bit. I want to go check up on Glenn and the Dixons."</p>
<p>Amy's nose scrunched up a little when she mentioned the Dixons but otherwise didn't say anything negative, "Kay, I'm gonna be in Dale's RV."</p>
<p>She watched the younger blonde walk away for a moment before turning to head back to her camp. Amy was tall. About two more like three inches taller than Marie's pathetic 5"2 and 1/2. Marie could tell that Sophia, with her long and elegant legs, would probably soon surpass her as well.</p>
<p>She was not jealous.</p>
<p>Nope.</p>
<p>Not even a little bit.</p>
<p>Not even when Merle, Daryl, <em>and</em> her brother towered over her.</p>
<p>Okay, so she was just a tiny, <em>insy-weensy,</em> bit jealous.</p>
<p>The only problem was that once she got to their area in the camp, Daryl and Merle had no idea where Glenn was and hadn't seen him since breakfast. The brothers had gone hunting for an hour or so after they ate, and since Marie had been volunteered to babysit, Glenn was supposed to keep watch of their things and stay at the camp for the day until someone relieved him. Especially since Ed Peletier, sweet Sophia's father who seemed to generally be a lazy and easily angered piece of shit, had been lingering close by to their campsite since yesterday after Merle had reclaimed his cases of beer.</p>
<p>Merle and Daryl had been surprised when they got back to their tent to find that Glenn wasn't sitting in the foldout chair by the firepit. There surprise, and alarm, only grew when they realized that Glenn wasn't in the van or trailer either. They'd thought that he'd gone to check up on her until she came looking for him. A quick run through the camp and peek at the empty lake let her know that her brother wasn't there either. Panic was now starting to run through her as she struggled to take in deep breaths.</p>
<p>Daryl, in a somewhat uncharacteristic gentleness that he refused to show others, had crouched down beside her hyperventilating ass and was softly rubbing her back while mumbling in his soothing Georgian drawl, "Breath, Marie. C'mon nice breath in an' out."</p>
<p>While Merle seemingly lost his patience and loudly called over to some of the curious onlookers, "Hey! Where's Chinaman, huh? Anyone seen Glenn 'round!?"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 1554<br/>~-~-~-~-~</p>
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</p>
<p>~-~-~-~-~<br/>(Above: Marie "Mae Ri" Rhee)<br/>I decided to post another picture of Marie... just because!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Pre-Atlanta Incident 7 Days (pt2)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Shane was the first to approach the now raging man as everyone else around them looked away guiltily. Her panic <em>-and not really irrational fear-</em> had led to unbidden tears that had started to slowly stream down her face as the worse thoughts started to run through her mind. Had a geek somehow made it into camp and gotten Glenn? Was that why he was gone?</p>
<p>"He's not here."</p>
<p>"A blin' man can <em>see</em> tha'! Wha' I wanna know is <em>where</em> he is?" Merle retorted angrily.</p>
<p>Shane ran his fingers through his curly hair, "He's out on a solo run, in Atlanta. Kid volunteered ta go when he heard some people asking about getting some new stuff."</p>
<p>"Wh-What!" she gasped out loudly, black spots danced across her vision, as she stood up violently and stumbled backward. Daryl was there like a comforting shadow to steady her. "N-No, he-"</p>
<p>"Hell ya talkin' 'bout!" Merle spits out, "Chinaman nevah 'ave left wit'out tellin' us. Tellin' his sistah!"</p>
<p>"Well, he did. <em>Volunteered</em> to go." Shane reiterated in an almost condescending manner, "Ya'll weren't here, we didn't know when you'd be back and he was losing daylight. Borrowed one of the smaller cars an' left about half an hour ago."</p>
<p>Marie's breaths were still coming out in distressed pants as if she'd been running around in the heat non-stop for hours. "Glenn, he- <em>geuege mwolago haess-eo? Mwolago haess-eo, saekki!</em>" in her anger she shouted at the sheriff's deputy in Korean as she ran up to the man pointed harshly at his chest, "Wasn't it enough? Didn't we bring enough food to last this group a week just <em>yesterday</em>!? What did you say! What'd you say to him!"</p>
<p>"Calm down, I didn't say anything. He <em>volunteered</em> to go when he heard that some of these folks didn' even have any other clothes than the ones on their backs." Shane started slowly as if she were a particularly unruly and stubborn child.</p>
<p>Her fists clenched angrily as she pressed her arms around her, "If- If my brother doesn't come back, or if he's <em>hurt</em>... I'll make you pay, <em>naega neol jug-ilgeoya.</em>" she threatened before letting Daryl drag her back to the van.</p>
<p>She could hear Merle threatening Shane loudly behind them even as Daryl gestured for her to go inside the van, "You can' think like tha'. Glenn's smart an' fast, he'll be 'ere before ya know it. An' you'll be there ta chew him out fer leavin' wit'out tellin' any of us."</p>
<p>"Ri-Right," Marie mumbled shakily as she wiped away her tears, "You're gonna hear a lot of new curses in Korean when he gets here, I'd take notes."</p>
<p>Daryl snorted, "Don' think I'll be able ta say 'em right even if I do."</p>
<p>A giggle that could pass as a huff escaped from her lips, "Don't sell yourself short Daryl. I think it'd be hot to hear you swear in my mother tongue." she teased.</p>
<p>A red flush bloomed across Daryl's cheeks as he looked away from her awkwardly, "Stop." he grunted, "Tha's weird, yer like fifteen."</p>
<p>Laughter escaped from her lips, "I'm twenty-four not fifteen Daryl! <em>You</em> need to stop saying that or people around here might actually start believing you!"</p>
<p>The younger Dixon sent her a smirk, "Well if you wasn' so damn short, than maybe people a think yer your actual age."</p>
<p>Her jaw dropped, "You! You know how I feel about people mentioning my height!"</p>
<p>"I know." he smiled mischievously as he exited the van to go finish skinning some squirrels. A giggle escaped from her lips without her permission. Cheeky Daryl was fun.</p>
<p>A few minutes later Merle peaked his head into the van and plopped down on the couch as Marie washed the chickweed she'd picked with the kids. Merle was fiddling around with one of his knives before he began sharpening it with a whetstone. He was quiet for a moment longer before blurting out. "I ain't stupid. I know ma baby brotha didn' find no abandoned camp tha' jus' so happen ta have ma prescription after I tol' him tha' I ran out."</p>
<p>So <em>that</em> what was what Daryl had told Merle... That was the <em>stupidest</em> line she'd ever heard. Honestly, he should have just said that he saw the paroxetine in one of the bags she and Glenn had filled with medications and grabbed it. That would have been a million times more believable than magically finding some in an abandoned tent.</p>
<p>"You an' Chinaman, ya'll didn' go out yesterday ta get things fer these ingrates did ya? Daryl tol' ya and ya'll went runnin' inta danger ta get it. Someone ya jus' met who ain't yer kin. You fuckin' stupid? You an' Chinaman? <em>Well</em>, he certainly is, since he's in Atlanta right now."</p>
<p>Marie dried her hands and leaned against the counter to look at him, "Are you mad? That Daryl told me? He was only worried about you."</p>
<p>"Wasn' his place ta go babblin' ta the firs' girl tha' gave 'im a pr'tty smile." he grunted out, though his voice wasn't raised.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry... that we disrespected your privacy Merle." she whispered before adding in a stronger tone, "But I'm not sorry that we got the meds you need. I'd do it again in a heartbeat."</p>
<p>"Tha' don' make no sense. I ain't yer daddy or yer boyfriend, I ain't <em>nothin</em>' ta ya." he stated harshly, "So why the hell would ya go on a run ta git somethin' fer someone tha' ain't yer kin."</p>
<p>Marie sighed, "Because you're Merle. You're grouchy, a little sexist and racist towards people that bug the hell out of you, a hell of storyteller and survivalist. You're Daryl's big brother... you are a part of my group, mine, Glenn's and Daryl's. That's enough of a reason in my opinion." she stated bluntly before sighing, "Besides I know what it's like when you're cut off meds that you need."</p>
<p>"What ya know 'bout that?" Merle asked after a moment.</p>
<p>Playing the tail-end of her braid she answered quietly without looking, "My parents sent me away when I was thirteen. Our big sister, Hana, she <em>came out</em> to our parents. And well, they didn't take it very well. I was really close to Hana, used to follow her around everywhere... My dad, I don't know, they thought if I just hung around her I'd turn into a lesbian too."</p>
<p>Merle was quiet, not speaking up, though she knew from a conversation in the past that he had a couple of choice words concerning homosexuals. Something that had made both the Rhee siblings uncomfortable when they heard him.</p>
<p>"Shipped me off to live with my grandparents in Korea. <em>Alone</em>. Without my brother or my sister. I-I got really depressed. My <em>halmeoni</em>, grandma, got really worried and made me see a psychologist. Started taking sertraline for it. When my mom came to visit two months later and found out... she threw a fit, got my dad involved. They made me stop taking cold turkey."</p>
<p>She had to fight tears from streaming down her face as her throat burned from the effort she was putting in to avoid her voice from cracking, "I got <em>worse</em> for a while. My grandparents put me to work on their farm, thought that if I was too tired from working all day I wouldn't have time to feel depressed."</p>
<p>"I'm a dumbass, an' even I know shit don' work like tha'." Merle snorted sardonically. Marie shot him a tired smile.</p>
<p>"Stubborn." she corrected, "Not dumb... but yeah. My grandpa put his foot down a month later when I- um, accidentally overdosed on sleeping pills. Took me back to the psychologist and got me the medication behind my parents back... So, um, I kinda know what you were going through, and I didn't want <em>you</em> to go through something like <em>that</em> when I could make it better."</p>
<p>"Does Glenn know?"</p>
<p>"About your pills? Y-Yeah, sorry, I needed to tell him the reason why it was important for us-"</p>
<p>"Nah, not 'bout tha'." he interrupted while waving his hand, "He know 'bout you?"</p>
<p>Marie nodded her head, "Yeah. Hana too. Glenn's never been really good at lying or keeping secrets but he's kept that one. He'll keep yours too."</p>
<p>Merle grunted as he stood up, "Daryl's 'bout done now wit' the squirrels, c'me on out, let's have a stew." Marie followed him out.</p>
<p>When Glenn got back to the quarry, and after she made sure he was safe and there wasn't an injury on him, she chewed him out in a very public manner that made Glenn turn red in embarrassment. Merle and Daryl certainly didn't help him either, ignoring his silent pleading looks, since they too had few choice words on Glenn's voluntary disappearance. To say the least, Glenn was <em>never</em> leaving the camp without telling one of them where he was going again.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 1566<br/>~-~-~-~-~</p>
<p>  </p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>~-~-~-~-~</p>
<p>(So I decided to add a couple of pictures of Daryl since he's younger in my fic than in canon, this is what he looks like at the moment!)</p>
<p>~-~-~-~-~</p>
<p> </p>
<p>  </p>
<p> </p>
<p>~-~-~-~-~</p>
<p>(And here's Merle! Just imagine he has the same hair cut in Season 1! LOL, I never realized how big the image was until I saw a preview of the chapter...)</p>
<p>~-~-~-~-~</p>
<p>So, we got some nice Daryl and Marie interaction topped off by some Merle bonding -with a dash of Marie's background- and tearing Glenn a new one... I hope you all liked the new chapter!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Pre-Atlanta Incident Days 6 to 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Glenn is an idiot. And Marie was right. Her brother <em>had</em> been guilted by Shane and a few other members of the group into going to Atlanta for more supplies. The idiot had also promised he'd go again today, and nothing she said could dissuade him. When Marie got all of her things together to go on the run with him, Shane had the audacity to walk into their camp and give his unwanted opinion that she should stay behind.</p><p>"I'm not saying that you're not <em>capable</em>, I mean we all know you can- you've done it before. But you have survival skills that we need here. Your knowledge on plant life is vital, you're the closet thing we have to a doctor right now. We can't afford to lose you." he'd explained.</p><p>Marie had been seeing red, "I <em>don't</em> care. Glenn is <em>not</em> going into Atlanta without me." before grabbing her brother's arm and leading him to the car they'd be taking into the city. The supply run hadn't gone too bad. They'd retrieved what Shane's group needed (<em>socks, underwear, allergy meds, shoelaces, batteries, soap, bug spray, deorderant, sunscreen, and hair ties</em>) before going back to where they parked the car and driving back to the quarry. The most useful thing Marie got out of it was the <em>intel</em>. Atlanta was now truly <em>crawling</em> with the dead. They hadn't come across <em>any</em> living humans throughout the entire trip.</p><p>Glenn's old neighborhood had been infested. Something that the siblings had attributed to the pharmacy and grocery store that'd been across his apartment and the Target that had been five blocks away. People must have swarmed to the stores to get supplies and been overwhelmed by the dead. The army bombing Atlanta had also done a lot more <em>harm</em> than good. Marie didn't want to imagine just how many people had died or become compromised because of the explosions. If anything the bombings had only served to aide the dead into overthrowing Atlanta.</p><p>The following day the siblings spent the majority of their time out in the lake fishing so that Daryl could have a break from hunting all day. The Dixon brothers had been nice enough to help the Rhee siblings debone the fish when they'd finally called it a day. Marie had been halfway through with one of the crappies when the children, barring Amy who was washing laundry in the lake with the other older women of the group, of the other group came to ask for another foraging lesson. Merle chortled and called her a softie when Marie eventually agreed to take them out despite being tired.</p><p>This time Louis and Carl were the first to spot the chickweed first, they had both beamed up at her when she complimented them for remembering what the plant looked like. During their small hike, the girls had found daises in the sunny and grassy small meadow not too far from where everyone was camping. They'd all been shocked when Marie stated that daises are incredibly useful for their medicinal properties.</p><p>The oxeye daisy that the girls found shares many properties with its cousin chamomile and could be used almost interchangeably. A tea or infusion of the plant has the broadest range of uses since it is an antispasmodic which is useful for relieving the horrible racking cough associated with severe lung issues like tuberculosis, bronchitis, or pneumonia. It could break a fever, or soothe the stomach when mixed with honey, calm ulcers, reduce nausea, treat diarrhea... and well a whole lot more.</p><p>Sophia looked mighty pleased that she'd once more helped find a useful plant as she and Eliza practically filled their buckets with the familiar white flower heads with a yellow center. The meadow also had a fair amount of ground ivy growing everywhere that she had the children pick.</p><p>Carl had been the first one to recognize it as creeping charlie because his dad had spent more than a few hours over the weekend trying to expel it from their backyard. Marie had laughed and told him that a lot of the weeds people hate having in their backyards are actually pretty useful. They'd all been rather impressed that people had been using the ivy as a medicinal plant for over five thousand years since it could be as tonics, teas, decoctions, washes, and poultices.</p><p>After herding the children for over two hours, where she not only taught them but also helped them clean their plants and make a tea out of the daisies on Eliza and Sophia's request. She'd finally sent them back to their mamas' who all shot her grateful smiles as the kids babbled about what they'd learned and tried to cajole them into drinking the tea. Marie practically threw herself onto the floor beside Daryl and groaned about the never-ceasing energy and enthusiasm of children. Merle countered that she could have just told them 'no' or scared them away if she had been too tired to deal with them... earning him a glare from Marie and chuckles from the two other men.</p><p>The next morning Glenn had been cajoled into going on <em>another</em> run while Marie had been gathering water to boil with Merle at the lake. "Again! <em>Really</em> Glenn!" Marie had complained as she rubbed her temple, "I'm never gonna be able to leave you alone am I? Whenever I'm gone the vultures are gonna surround you and you're going to say '<em>yes</em>' like an <em>idiot</em>, aren't you?"</p><p>"I'm not an idiot." Glenn countered weakly after a moment.</p><p>Merle had laughed, "Fr'm wha' I heard Chinadoll, tha' means '<em>yes</em>,' 'cause Chinaman here hasn' said '<em>no</em>' yet."</p><p>Marie groaned, "Why can't my brother ever tell anyone '<em>no</em>,' I swear it's not that hard, it's just one syllable, babies can say it." she asked the heavens, ignoring how it'd caused Merle to break out into raucous laughter, "Hana can say '<em>no</em>' and she's said it to kids with cancer who want candy. How can saying '<em>no</em>' to a middle-aged ex-deputy be harder?"</p><p>"Sky's not gonna give ya the answers ya wan,' Chinadoll!" Merle stated amusedly.</p><p>"I know." she agreed, "I just keep wishing that it would... or, you know, that a bird would at least take a shit on Glenn's head."</p><p>"Hey!" said brother complained as Merle cackled once more loudly.</p><p>That run had gone fine as well, though what they had risked their <em>lives</em> to get in the city hadn't been very important... <em>again</em>. Shane's group had given him another list of bullshit items (<em>more of the same; socks, underwear, new trainers or hiking boots, reusable water bottles, allergy medication, ibuprofen, someone really</em> really<em> wanted coca-cola, more batteries, bug spray, sunscreen, and hair ties- how many hair ties did the women at camp need?</em>) that could have easily been found in the stores or even the homes surrounding the quarry. Of course, when Marie brought that up, she'd been shot down by some of the more conscientious members who thought that looting people's homes when they could come back any moment would be wrong. Assholes.</p><p>Marie was only happy that Daryl was out hunting again and that Merle had a headache and wasn't around when they shot down her idea -instead, Merle was in the airconditioned van taking a nap after she'd given him naproxen... Still, on their way back from the geek-infested city the Rhee siblings stopped by a couple of homes in the more deserted neighborhoods and grabbed whatever they could get their hands on. The houses had honestly been a better and safer place for the supplies the other group had wanted. They grabbed all of the medication they found, warmer clothes and sturdy shoes, linen, some more canned and dry food, coffee, hot chocolate packets, tea bags, a boy scout manual, and a couple of toys that'd she gave to the kids.</p><p>It was just sad that the most grateful individuals of the group were the children. The four kids had thanked her and Glenn non-stop after they were handed the specially picked toys and clothes, while most of the adults had just grunted and grabbed what they felt entitled to. The mothers of the kids were the most thankful out of the adults.</p><p>Miranda, the mother of Eliza and Louis, had hugged them both and kissed their forehead in gratitude. Her husband, Juan, had nodded his head in thanks and patted Glenn's back before promising to drop off some firewood at their camp. Carol had quietly thanked them as well, before offering to wash their laundry. Marie had thanked the woman for the offer but declined, not really comfortable with letting a stranger wash their things. Besides, when they did laundry the Dixons helped too. And it wasn't like Carol was offering to wash their things either... She couldn't leave the brothers hanging, especially since Marie was the one who helped them get the more stubborn stains out of their clothes. Lori had been grateful too, especially after Carl had happily shown off the DC action figures Glenn had found for him. She'd said something about it being the happiest she'd seen her son in months.</p><p>(<em>Her brother had been downright gleeful when he found them and then later rubbed it in her face that Carl was a DC fan, no worries though, she would get back at him... it wouldn't be too hard either, Iron Man </em>is<em> a million times better than Batman</em>).</p><p>Still, she was tired of Glenn giving into Shane's demands. Going on runs daily for things that <em>weren't </em>necessary. The part that angered her the most was that <em>they</em> were the only ones going on these dangerous runs. It wasn't right. The majority of Shane's group were grown-ass adults. If they really wanted something, then they could get it their fucking selves. After tomorrow she was putting her foot down. Glenn could whine and protest all he wanted <em>-she didn't care anymore that it made him feel useful, like he was doing something worthwhile-</em> but her brother was <em>not </em>going to be fetching things anymore for these people.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 1742<br/>~-~-~-~-~-~<br/>Hey all! I just started school again last week and am just getting used to my new schedule! Hope you like the new chapter!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Chapter Eighteen: Pre-Atlanta Incident 3 Days (pt1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Marie was so fed up with the new routine. The one where the Dixon brothers, herself, and Glenn became the four people that the <em>entire</em> camp depended on to get them food and supplies. Especially when the majority of Shane's people treated the Dixon brothers like dog shit that needed to be wiped off their boots. She'd heard the nasty grumblings whenever they thought the Dixons or the Rhees couldn't hear them. Marie had heard what they'd been saying about her and Glenn too.</p>
<p>How the Dixons had done <em>something</em> to them during those few days when they'd had the quarry for themselves. How they had been stockholmed by them somehow. She'd even heard a couple of women trying to guess which man Maire was 'fucking,' because there was no way that she would be able to put up with the Dixon boys otherwise. Marie was only happy that said Dixons had been hunting when she'd heard that. Merle would <em>not</em> have taken that lying down... Daryl probably wouldn't have either.</p>
<p>Actually... Glenn wouldn't have taken that shit either. There were very few things that could actually piss off her brother. Someone talking shit about his sisters was probably the fastest way to set him off.</p>
<p>Back to the issue at hand. The new routine, the one where Shane would walk up all cocky-like, when Marie <em>wasn't</em> there of course because he knew that she would say '<em>no</em>' and <em>gleefully</em> right to his face as well, before telling Glenn that the group needed more supplies from the <em>city.</em> Always the city. Never the homes a little further away from the shithole that was the infested to the brim with geeks. It pissed her off something awful.</p>
<p>Daryl had suffered from some heatstroke the day before and was taking it easy at their camp, while Merle did some solo hunting. Today the siblings <em>had</em> actually split up in their search for supplies. Glenn, despite all of her initial protests, had gone into the city while Marie went to one of the suburbs they'd scouted before. The one that they were supposed to be scavenging <em>together</em> like they'd planned the day before. Marie wasn't bitter about this at all.</p>
<p>She'd been doing well so far. Like Marie had predicted, the houses had been relatively untouched so far. Any survivors out there were mostly still scavenging malls or supermarkets for supplies. Once the stores are cleaned out the houses will be hit up next. Which was the whole reason <em>why</em> Marie had wanted to go on this particular run in the first place. She wanted to continue filling their trailer with food... mostly so that if <em>-when-</em> the time came that the Dixons decided they didn't want to stay at the quarry anymore <em>-despite the advantages of having a freshwater lake filled with fish-</em> they would have a steady supply of food on the road.</p>
<p>Marie cleared the big house at the end of the street with no problems. She killed the three geeks inhabiting it before grabbing everything of use. That home had a giant walk-in pantry that'd almost made her pass out from happiness. Hopefully, Shane and the other greedy assholes back at the quarry would finally let her and Glenn rest for once instead of trying to pressure them to go on another run.</p>
<p>It took her an hour to get everything she wanted from the house into the car she'd borrowed. In that time she'd had to put down four other geeks that had wandered into the neighborhood while she had been transferring the goods. It hadn't been too difficult to do so with her bow, thank the heavens her <em>hal-abeoji</em> had taught her how to use it, though it had been stressful to retrieve the arrows from the fallen geeks since the damn things were in a pretty open place where she didn't have any cover. It was the second house she'd cleared that made things a <em>lot</em> more complicated. She found <em>four</em> <em>living</em> people.</p>
<p>Marie had just put down the female geek she'd found tied up in the basement, which is how she'd gotten into the house in the first place. Her whole body was tense, a fletching already nocked as she quietly made her way through the living room and the kitchen on the first floor. This place didn't look like the other house, it looked a lot more <em>lived</em> in, as in someone had been living here <em>recently</em>. Which could explain the tied up geek in the basement. Sounds from the upstairs made the hair on the back of her neck rise.</p>
<p>There were either more geeks upstairs <em>or</em> there were actual living beings up there. She wiped some sweat that had built on her upper lip with her shoulder as she let out a low whistle to taunt the ugly geeks into coming down and finding her. Nothing. No groans or moans. Not even the shuffling of feet. A minute later Marie could a floorboard creaking above her had and a door shutting. Someone was <em>definitely</em> up there. Marie did a quick sweep through the first floor before slowly starting her way up, internally wincing when a step creaked too loudly, panicked high-pitched whispers and a lower reprimanding one, reached her ears as she made it to the top veranda.</p>
<p>The fletching was still notched threateningly on the bowstring between her forefinger and middle finger as she approached the door where the noises were coming from. With her foot she lightly knocked on the door, making someone on the other side whine before being shushed. Marie lightly kicked the door once more.</p>
<p>"N-Now, I- I'm not afraid to shoot!" a male voice called out, "No reason why this needs to turn into a fight! Just <em>leave</em> and I won't shoot some rounds <em>through</em> the door."</p>
<p>She let out a shaky breath, "I'm not looking for a fight. I-I haven't seen anyone living around here since the beginning. I'm gonna open the door, <em>don't</em> shoot." Marie stated seriously as she slowly turned the knob and let the door swing open with her foot so that she could re-nock her arrow.</p>
<p>A sweaty-fevered looking man was pointing his shotgun at the door, though his finger wasn't on the trigger. Behind him, sitting in a corner on the bed was a terrified looking little girl no older than seven holding a squirming bundle in her arms as another female toddler ducked her head behind her older sister. <em>Holy shit.</em> Her bow immediately pointed towards the ground as she stared at the youngest children she had seen since this whole mess started.</p>
<p>"Don't move." the man warned though his voice was no longer as harsh as it had been when he saw her lower her weapon. Marie looked back at the desperate man before dropping her recurve bow on the floor altogether and raising her hands in the universal 'I come in peace.'</p>
<p>"I'm not going to hurt anyone. Are you sick?" she questioned softly, "I know some medicine, I can help treat your fever."</p>
<p>The man shook his head morosely, "Nothing you'd do would help." he admitted as he lowered his weapon and pulled up the sleeve of his shirt to reveal a bloodied bandage that she could only assume concealed an infected bite on his arm. Sweet mother of- "My wife, I went to check if she was breathing but-" a shaky breath escaped from him as he wiped away a tear, "she had turned, I was too slow and I-I got bit. I left her in the basement, I could- couldn't bring myself to..."</p>
<p>Marie nodded, "I'm sorry, I, uh, came in through there and, um, I didn't know the biter was..."</p>
<p>"She's gone?" the man asked softly.</p>
<p>She winced, "Yes, I'm sorry for your loss."</p>
<p>"My name is Kai, Kai Māhoe. I've <em>seen</em> what this infection does to you, what it <em>turns</em> the people you <em>love</em> into. But my children, they aren't infected. They don't <em>deserve</em> to-" a small sob escaped from him, "They don't deserve to <em>die</em> like this."</p>
<p>"Maybe we can help you, I have a lot of medicine back at the camp-"</p>
<p>"No." Kai shook his head, "It's a death sentence. It's not the first time I've seen it turn someone I love. We were visiting my wife's family here. She wanted to have Iolani here where her mother was. Where her sisters were. When this happened, I barely got Malia and Iolani out of the hospital. My mother-in-law's house was surrounded by those things."</p>
<p>The oldest child on the bed had started to silently cry as she covered her traumatized expression with one of her arms, the other one continued to hold the infant, Iolani. "Their grandmother was able to get Leilani and Ailani to us, but she was bitten. We didn't <em>know</em>, we didn't know what it would do then. She died three days later in <em>pain</em>, her fever was so <em>high</em>..." Kai shook his head as if to banish the image from his mind, "When she turned, she almost killed us all. I-I killed her." he whispered as he rubbed his face, "Two days ago, we got careless. My wife and I, we were getting some food from one of the houses close by. It was so <em>quiet</em>- and I- I was too <em>late</em>."</p>
<p>The man was heartbroken.</p>
<p>"I-I'm so sorry. I d-don't know what I can do, how I can help you."</p>
<p>"Take them with you."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 1644<br/>~-~-~-~-~-~<br/>I'm sorry about the delay! I'm taking three English classes and an anthropology course... that means non-stop essays and writing. Not to mention I have to write like three short stories every week for my creative writing class. It's just been a lot. I meant to post this chapter over a week ago... but I finally got around to editing it now. I'll hopefully post the next chapter in a couple of hours.<br/>~-~-~-~-~-~<br/>SO, I'm introducing some original characters in this chapter... I added pictures of who I was inspired by to be the Māhoe family.<br/>~-~-~-~-~-~</p>
<p><br/>(Kai and Malia Māhoe)</p>
<p><br/>(Leilani Māhoe: 6 years old)</p>
<p><br/>(Ailani Māhoe: 2 years old)</p>
<p><br/>(Iolani Māhoe: 2 weeks old)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Pre-Atlanta Incident 3 Days (pt2)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Wh-<em>What</em>?" she gasped out.</p><p>Kai's eyes were burning into her pleadingly, "Take them with you, <em>please</em>! It's the only way this doesn't end with my children <em>dead</em> by my own hands. They're innocent."</p><p>Marie slowly sat on the ground as she felt spots dance across her vision. It wasn't completely insane, what he was asking. If anything it was even <em>logical</em>. Kai was infected. He was going to die and come back <em>hungry</em>. Kai's children were <em>not</em> infected. Kai did not want his children to die. Marie was there. Marie was not infected. Marie could take Kai's children... Ergo the children will, in fact, <em>not </em>die and live to see another day. But still, <em>Marie</em> permanently <em>responsible</em> for children? One who was less than a month old, a toddler, <em>and</em> another kid under the age of ten.</p><p>The longest prolonged contact Marie had with an infant was when her cousin had a baby two years ago. She'd babysitted for her a handful of times, but that didn't mean that she was an expert in childcare. She was twenty-four for heaven's sake! She'd never even really had a boyfriend -<em>especially since Marie did </em>not<em> count the month-long relationship she had in high school-</em> and hadn't thought she'd become a parent until... well much <em>much</em> later.</p><p>"<em>Please</em>. Please, god I don't even know your name..." the man was almost moaning his despair.</p><p>"Marie. Marie Rhee."</p><p>"Marie, please take my children," Kai begged desperately as he abandoned his spot and moved closer to her.</p><p>Her head was nodding before Marie had even decided if it was a good idea. Curse her stupid weak heart. She had never planned on saying '<em>no</em>' had she? God, she was worse than Glenn. "Okay, okay..."</p><p>"Daddy no!" the oldest girl protested, "Please, I'll be <em>good</em>! I don't wanna go! I wanna stay with <em>you</em>!"</p><p>"Leilani..." the man murmured as he sat on the bed and moved the child's long brown hair out of her face, "<em>Ipo</em>, you have to go. Daddy is sick, just like when mama got sick. Marie is going to take care of all of you. I need you to help her take care of your brother and sister. Can you do that for me, my brave girl?"</p><p>Leilani was crying softly, "But, maybe you'll get better..."</p><p>"<em>P</em><em>ēpē</em>, you know that's not how it works. I need you to protect Ailani and Iolani for me. Can you do that?"</p><p>The little girl nodded her head, "O-Okay."</p><p>Kai pressed a wet kiss on the girl's forehead, "Where is your camp? Is it close to here?"</p><p>"Quarry." she blurted out before backtracking, "The group I'm with is stationed out in a quarry. I just came on a supply run while my brother is on another one in Atlanta. We've done this more than once already."</p><p>Kai nodded, "D-Do you have a vehicle?"</p><p>"Yeah, um, I came in a car."</p><p>"Good. I have a car seat for my son that we can install," he mumbled as he gently took the infant into his arms and pressed a small kiss onto the sleeping baby's forehead. "Come." he instructed as he led them into the other room, Leilani and Ailani were hot on his heels.</p><p>The other room had been turned into a makeshift nursery by the Māhoe's. Kai carefully buckled in the baby into a car seat resting on the floor before he started packing baby items into the various open bags in the room. Marie eyes the distraught little girls clinging onto their father for a moment before crouching down and helping the man pack. After a moment, Leilani started gathering her things too... but only after Kai encouraged her to, while the toddler, Ailani, grabbed onto a small lamb plushie and squished it to her chest.</p><p>"This is the formula Iolani's been drinking, he gets hungry about every two/three hours. Ailani can't sleep without the lamb plushie and she hates peas. She will throw up and have a fit if you try. Leilani is a good girl, but lately, she needs someone there so that she can fall asleep." Kai started, "The girls love eating fish. I used to bring in a big catch back home, we're from Hawaii. Leilani's a really good swimmer and Ailani loves the water but you gotta watch her or she's gonna dive right in."</p><p>Marie was quiet as she listened to the man recount the life he had built with his wife and children. All of his daughters' little quirks and the ones his son was just starting to develop. The kids weren't allergic to anything, and neither had Kai been, or his wife. All of the kids were AB+, so they were universal receivers like Marie and Glenn. For such tiny little kids, they had a lot of stuff. Marie ended up driving the car around and parking inside the garage so that the kids wouldn't ever have to go outside while they packed the car and got the kids situated. Kai and his wife had thankfully stocked up on a lot of formula so she wouldn't need to worry about that for another two months or so, but she would probably end up making some cloth diapers for Iolani when they ran out.</p><p>The girls' bags (filled with clothes, soft toys, shoes, a small photo album, a sleep-time CD, blankies) had been stuffed to the brim and shoved into the trunk. Kai had to show her how to install Iolani's car seat three times before she got it down. Iolani's bag had also been stuffed to the brim as well as the Moses basket he'd been sleeping in with all the baby formula and diapers. Kai had also helped Marie grab all of the useful items left in the house -<em>including the shotgun that had been aimed at her and the spare shells-</em> before it was time for them to part ways.</p><p>Leilani was outright sobbing, which triggered her younger sister into tears as well. Kai was barely holding himself together as he pressed loving kisses onto the chubby cheeks of his daughters before buckling them in and kissing his son one more time before shutting the car door. Steadily ignoring the pleads from his daughters heartbreakingly calling out to him.</p><p>"Go." Kai commanded, tears freely falling down his face, "Keep them safe for me."</p><p>Marie nodded, ignoring the lump in her throat, before grasping the tall Hawaiian's shoulder, "I will protect them with my life. I promise."</p><p>"Thank you," he whispered gratefully before they both startled as something banged loudly against the closed door of the garage, another body quickly slammed against the metal door as loud moans and groans hit their ears.</p><p>"Shit!" Marie hissed.</p><p>"Get in the car!" Kai shouted, "I'll draw them away!"</p><p>Her eyes snapped to look at him incredulously, "But-"</p><p>"Just go!" Kai snapped as he ran out of the garage and towards the front door, "I'm dead anyway!"</p><p>"<em>A</em><em> ssibal</em>!" Marie cursed as she jumped into the car and threw her bow onto the passenger seat and started the car. The children were still crying in the backseat, though the volume was nowhere near as loud. Marie left the door open as she ran and slammed against the button to open the garage door before sprinting back into the car and slamming the door shut <em>just</em> as a geek crawled into the room. Marie locked the doors just as Leilani screamed fearfully in the back, which only set off the cries of her younger siblings once more.</p><p>She didn't wait any longer before slamming her foot onto the pedal and peeling out of the garage. As Marie turned the corner she spotted Kai screaming, as he loudly attracted all of the geeks in the area towards him so that they could escape.</p><p>"Daddy!" Leilani shouted as she pressed her face against the window. Marie stepped on the gas, jerking the car forward and away from the scene.</p><p>"Don't look!" Marie instructed in distress as Iolani's cries reached a higher pitch, "<em>Please</em>, Leilani, what's wrong with your baby brother? Can you look at him?"</p><p>The oldest Māhoe's sobs quietened as she turned to shush her distressed infant brother instead, "Ion, shh, it's okay. Don't cry. Shh, big sister is here."</p><p>"Daddy?" Ailani asked wetly as she rubbed her eyes and clutched her lamb plushie.</p><p>"Daddy's not here right now, we're going on a big adventure! Do you know what an adventure is Ailani?" Marie asked as she got onto the expressway that would take her back to the quarry the fastest. It was <em>way</em> past lunchtime now, nearing three in the afternoon, a quick peek into the backseat revealed that toddler was shaking her head, "An adventure is like a really fun game!" she enthused fakely, "We'll find new things and meet some new friends... and tomorrow I can even take you guys down to the lake. The water's a bit too cold to go swimming but I have a boat. It's gonna be a lot of fun!"</p><p>"Do you really have a boat?" Leilani sniffled as she wiped away her tears and fussed at her much calmer baby brother.</p><p>"Yup!" Marie promised, "We'll even have a fish fry tomorrow, how does that sound?"</p><p>"Fish!" Ailani squealed.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 1600<br/>~-~-~-~-~-~</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Pre-Atlanta Incident 3 Days (pt3)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Marie wasn't quite sure who looked more shocked when she'd finally pulled into the quarry... only to park the car to rush towards the backseat and unbuckle Iolani. He had started whimpering again in distress, before calming down once he was being cuddled in the arms of an adult. Daryl. She decided. Daryl's eyes had widened so far that she'd thought they would pop right out of his eye sockets, while Shane -<em>who had been a close contender next to her brother, who had actually tripped over thin air when Leilani hopped out of the car and helped her little sister out-</em> had certainly been incredulous... he'd also gotten angry. Fast.</p>
<p>Angry that Marie was endangering the group by bringing not one but <em>two</em> babies to the quarry when she should have just been out there looking for supplies. "What the hell were you thinking?" Shane hissed furiously.</p>
<p>Two different sets of little hands clung onto the back of Marie's pants as a protective rage for her new charges engulfed her. "Back the <em>heck</em> up." Marie growled softly as she gently rocked the infant, "<em>You </em>are not in charge of what or <em>who</em> I decide to bring here. Their father begged me to take them with me. He was <em>bit</em>, his wife was already <em>gone</em>. I'm not some heartless bit- <em>person</em> who would've left defenseless children behind, so get <em>outta</em> <em>our</em> way."</p>
<p>"Marie?" Leilani tugged on her hesitantly, making everyone in the crowd that'd been glaring at them avert their eyes in shame. Shane huffed angrily when no one stepped up to his defense and stormed away towards the tents.</p>
<p>"It's okay," she reassured the six-year-old before calling out to her brother and Daryl, "Glenn, Daryl, I need a hand here!" Marie turned back to the two scared children and smiled before pointing out the men, "This is my big brother Glenn and our friend Daryl. They are <em>really</em> nice and are gonna help us get your things into my van, okay?"</p>
<p>Leilani nodded shyly as she waved at the men bewildered men, "Hi, my name's Leilani. I'm six. And this is my sister Ailani... but we just call her Nani."</p>
<p>"Oh, um, hi!" Glenn offered a little awkwardly before reaching his hand out to the girls, "I'm Glenn, come on, let's get you girls into the van. Are you guys hungry?"</p>
<p>"Yeah!" Ailani chirruped as she grabbed hold of Glenn's hand without hesitation. Leilani only sent Marie a hesitant look that vanished when Marie smiled and nodded, before grabbing Glenn's other hand.</p>
<p>"Where're their things?" Daryl asked her in a soft voice as he peered down at the squirming and wide awake infant in Marie's arms.</p>
<p>"Most of it's in the trunk," Marie replied as she followed the archer to the back of the car. She grabbed the smallest baby bag and boppy pillow while Daryl grabbed the three big duffles she told him belonged to the children.</p>
<p>"How can I help?" T-Dog asked as he approached the pair.</p>
<p>"Grab my bow and the Moses basket in the front seat please." she mumbled before following Daryl to their camp and into her van. Leilani and Ailani were happily sitting on the pull-out couch as Glenn made them a sandwich with elderberry jam. She shot the girls a smile as she followed Daryl into the bedroom where he dumped the duffle bags onto the floor against the back door. Marie plopped the boppy pillow onto the center of her bed before gently laying Iolani down. The infant fussed for a moment before she brought up the pacifier hanging on his colorful clip into his mouth. Hopefully, he wouldn't spit it out again.</p>
<p>"Wha' happened?" Daryl whispered. Marie straightened up before immediately throwing her arms around Daryl's waist and burying her face into his shirt. Daryl tensed immediately. Though he thankfully didn't push her away.</p>
<p>Tears that had been threatening to stream down her face for the last hour were unleashed as she silently sobbed for a minute before regaining her composure and pulling away, "Sorry." Marie sniffled as she rubbed the tears away from her eyes and whispering, "Sorry, Daryl... This- This has just been a really <em>shitty</em> day."</p>
<p>The younger Dixon's face was flushed as he nervously rubbed the back of his head, "Can see tha,' Marie."</p>
<p>"Leaving these kids there wasn't an option." she started nervously explaining as she ran her fingers through her hair, undoubtedly messing up the braid and pulling strands out, "But now that they're <em>here</em>? God, I'm in <em>way</em> over my head! I don't know how to <em>parent,</em> much less to <em>three</em> kids, god two of them are <em>babies</em>. What am I supposed to do?"</p>
<p>"Hey, hey." Daryl said soothingly as he rubbed her back, "Jus' breathe, Marie, you ain't alone. We're 'ere. Glenn's not gonna let ya do this by yerself, I'm not leavin' ya either... an' once Merle gets over the fact tha' he's gonna have ta share th' couch when he's too hot an' wants th' AC... well, he'll come 'round too. Yer <em>not</em> alone."</p>
<p>Marie nodded tiredly, "Right, right. Okay. Thank you, Daryl."</p>
<p>"No problem." the man grunted as tiny footsteps approached them.</p>
<p>"Marie?" Leilani was standing there shyly as she clutched her little sister's hand.</p>
<p>"Hey!" Marie greeted the girls with a smile, "This is my friend, Daryl, remember him?"</p>
<p>Lailani nodded as she came closer. "He's <em>really </em>tall," she stated curiously as she looked up at the archer.</p>
<p>"Hmm." the Dixon grunted, "An' if ya eat all yer veggies you'll be real tall one day too."</p>
<p>"Cool!" the six-year-old smiled as she sat on Marie's bed and stroked Iolani's barefoot, making the infant kick the ticklish appendage away from his sister's wandering fingers.</p>
<p>Ailani toddled over to where Marie had sat on her brother's bed and raised her hands in the universal sign for '<em>up</em>' that all babies seemed to know instinctively. Marie smiled at the two-year-old and gently plopped her down on her lap. Ailani's cheeks had some sticky jam coating it, but it didn't really bother Marie too much as it smeared on the red top she was wearing. Tomorrow was laundry day anyway.</p>
<p>"M' gonna make sure tha' the vultures don' take everythin' fer themselves. Be righ' back." Daryl promised as he carefully made his way out of the van. Her brother must have left while she had her little freakout earlier... T-Dog had also dropped off Marie's bow and the rest of Iolani's baby stuff on the swirly chair when she wasn't paying attention.</p>
<p>How was this going to work? The kids were obviously going to be sleeping in the van, she did <em>not</em> want them outside in the tents like the others, they'd be a lot safer inside her converted vehicle... But she was going to have to rearrange everything to accommodate the new inhabitants. Marie didn't really like the idea of the girls sleeping out on the pull-out couch, what if she -<em>or Glenn-</em> forgot to lock the car up before going to sleep and an intelligent geek managed to get in?</p>
<p>Well... she could always set up the third bed that would go in between hers and Glenn's... it would turn the entire bedroom into one large surface bed. They would have to repack the third bed every morning so that they could make use of the space, but it could work otherwise. As soon as her brother got back, she would propose it to him. It'd be weird at first, but Marie wouldn't be able to relax unless she had all three within reach. Oh, god... was she already turning into one of those helicopter parents? No, nope. She was <em>not</em> going to dwell on that thought.</p>
<p>Ailani was quietly resting her cheek against Marie's collarbone as the toddler fiddled with the lamb plushie in her hands and generally babbled. Marie could only pick up one word once in a while. The oldest Māhoe still had a sad expression on her face, but she seemed to have calmed down a whole lot more as she watched her content baby brother.</p>
<p>Merle's loud voice as he slid the door open and loudly clambered into the van made all of them snap to look at him, "Caught some cottontails Marie let's stew 'em up! Wha' happen' in the other camp tha's got 'em all up in a tizzy? Glenn's lookin'-" as soon as he caught sight of the toddler plopped on her lap and the six-year-old staring at him curiously he froze, of course being the observant man he is, his eyes widened further as he caught sight of the infant laying on her bed as he kicked his tiny dedicated legs in the air.</p>
<p>"Holy shi- Wha' the hel-heck's happen' while I was huntin'?" he blurted out incredulously.</p>
<p>Marie shot the man a sheepish tired smiled, "So... I came across an issue while on the supply run... and, um, well these three are staying with us indefinitely."</p>
<p>The older Dixon's mouth dropped, "But, how in the- Chinadoll this sorta thin' woulda only happen' ta you." he stated bluntly as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Havin' cryin' babies 'round ain't safe, ya know tha' right? An' wha' about tha' one," he pointed at Iolani, "he ain't ol' enough to be away from 'is mother's tit. Where's their parents?"</p>
<p>"Bit. Gone." Marie stated softly, as if to soften the hard facts, not only from Merle but from Leilani who was paying rapt attention to the conversation, "I- I couldn't <em>leave</em> them there."</p>
<p>Merle shut his eyes and rubbed his face tiredly, "They's gonna give us hell 'bout this ya know. Gonna be pushin' fer us ta leave now. Ya know this 'right?"</p>
<p>Tears burned in her eyes though she refused to let them drop, "I'm sorry..."</p>
<p>The older man waved his hand, "Forgit 'bout it, we was 'ere firs' anyway, they can all suck on my hairy b- uh, we ain' t leavin'. Jus' don' expect me ta change any diapers, I ain't doin' tha' again." he promised as he hopped out of the van before poking his head back in, "I don' thin' I woulda been able ta leave 'em either." Merle stated bluntly before actually leaving this time.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 1788<br/>~-~-~-~-~-~<br/>Officially half-way through!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Pre-Atlanta Incident 2 Days (pt1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The first night with the kids had not gone spectacularly... though, it hadn't started off that way. Glenn had helped her set up the third bed like she'd asked so that they could all sleep together in the bedroom; while Marie had helped the Dixons make the rabbit stew with tiny Iolnai strapped to her chest. The Māhoe girls had followed her around their camp like tiny imprinted ducklings, asking questions to both of the Dixon brothers -<em>and Glenn when he joined them ten minutes later-</em> without fear. She'd caught more than a few surprised looks when neither of the brothers blew up on the kids and instead answered their inquiries patiently. Especially Ailani's questions, which were more than a little difficult to make out with that cute baby lisp.</p>
<p>When Iolani had started crying softly in hunger, Marie had practically sprinted into the van and shut the door behind her so that the sound wouldn't travel. She'd quickly prepared his bottle the way Kai had told her to. With warm water and a scoop of formula, before testing it on her wrist. Marie had rubbed the nipple on the infant's lips as she carefully maneuvered him inside of the fabric baby sling so that she only had to hold the bottle for him while he fed. The entire thing had been nerve-wracking, the baby's tiny cries had felt long and earth-shatteringly loud. Though Daryl had told her later that the baby had barely started to let out a low whine before Marie jumped into action.</p>
<p>Glenn had been the one to open the van door to check in on her and Iolani five minutes later, when it looked like Ailani would begin crying unless she was allowed in. He'd become significantly less tense when he realized that the tears had stopped on both ends and helped the toddler into the van so that she could explore to her little heart's content.</p>
<p>Both of the girls had enthusiastically enjoyed the rabbit stew, though Ailani had needed help to eat without spilling everything onto her front. Marie's heart had freaking <em>melted</em> when Merle, the rough and tough redneck, plopped the tiny girl on his knee and lightly blew on every spoonful before offering it to the toddler. Daryl had sent his older brother sly teasing smiles until Merle snapped at him, in a much lower voice and tone than he usually would have, to '<em>roll yer eyes back inta yer skull where's they belong, boy!</em>' and then <em>explaining</em> that the phrase meant to 'mind your business' when Leilani asked a minute later. Daryl had even been kind enough to hold Iolani, who was only half awake after downing his bottle and burped, while Marie ate since Glenn was still being all squirrelly about holding a baby that young.</p>
<p>It hadn't taken too long for the Māhoe girls to fall asleep last night... which could be attributed to their exhaustion and full bellies. Iolani had been a slightly different story. Having heard more than enough baby horror stories from their cousin, she knew that the second Iolani fell asleep she and Glenn should also hit the hay. The infant had been carefully bundled up inside of the Moses basket against the wall with Marie acting as the buffer between him and his sisters. It honestly hadn't taken Marie every long to fall asleep after the stressful ordeal that had been her day.</p>
<p>Of course, sleep didn't actually <em>last</em> long since the baby boy woke up not one hour later needing his diaper changed. It took twenty minutes to put him back down, not that it helped much because he woke up again two hours later for a bottle. It had taken Marie an hour to put him back to sleep after that, thankfully none of the girls had woken up... only for Marie to be awakened again an hour later to change his diaper... <em>again</em>. Marie almost started crying with him, Glenn was no help since he actually started <em>whimpering</em> when Iolani cried. Marie <em>almost</em> joined him when Ailani woke up with a whine, thankfully the toddler only needed to use the bathroom and fell back to sleep minutes after Glenn brought her back to the bed.</p>
<p>The rest of the night was spent in the same manner. Never sleeping for longer than two hours at once. By the time morning arrived Glenn and Marie were exhausted. She hadn't allowed Glenn's strange fear of holding such a tiny baby excuse him from helping out. Just no. By the end of the night, Glenn had changed two diapers and had been spit-up on three times. It's needless to say that the Rhee siblings were severely sleep-deprived when Leilani and Ailani cheerfully woke up ready to start their day.</p>
<p>Merle cackled at the bags that had formed under their eyes as they stumbled out of the van. "Ya'll aged overnight!" he crowed loudly making Marie and Glenn groan simultaneously.</p>
<p>She couldn't help but internally agree as she double-checked that she had strapped Iolani in the sling correctly before plopping down in one of the fold-out chairs tiredly. Iolani cooed up at her curiously as he smacked his lips and blinked his eyes heavily, considering that she woke up every single time he did... Marie could emphasize with his exhaustion, even if he <em>was</em> the cause behind hers.</p>
<p>"Please, not too loud," Glenn mumbled as he plopped down on his small stool by Daryl. Ailani squealed and ran around their camp energetically, "It feels like I'm suffering from the world's <em>worst</em> hangover and I haven't had a drop in weeks."</p>
<p>Leilani tilted her head curiously, "What's a hangover?"</p>
<p>Glenn immediately flinched and began stammering. Merle laughed loudly once more while Daryl tried to hide his amused grin, "Oh, um, a hangover- is um..."</p>
<p>She rolled her eyes and lightly slapped the back of Glenn's head, "It's just another word for a really bad headache that some grown-ups get." Marie explained factually.</p>
<p>The six-year-old nodded before shuffling on her feet, "Oh... um, Marie? I'm hungry. Are we gonna eat breakfast today?"</p>
<p>The question itself made her feel the slightest bit uncomfortable as she realized that Leilani and her sister hadn't been eating regular meals despite their parents' best efforts.</p>
<p>"O' course we are." Daryl pipped up calmly as they all exchanged uncomfortable glances, "We still got lots o' oatmeal, 'ight?"</p>
<p>"Yeah," Marie nodded before adding, "I'll add some of the powdered milk today as a treat."</p>
<p>"I'll get it." Glenn offered as he unlocked the trailer and climbed in. Ailani was hot on his heels as she tried to peer inside the trailer for herself.</p>
<p>"Oooh, I like oatmeal." Leilani chirruped, "Mamma puts bananas and strawberries in the oatmeal, 'cause that makes it fresh."</p>
<p>"Yer mamma sounds like a smart woman," Merle grunted as he carefully cleaned his rifle. Glenn had hopped out of the trailer with one of the deeper pots, the oatmeal container and powdered milk bag inside it, before sitting down close to the campfire so that he could start measuring the ingredients. Ailani had approached Daryl now and plopped down onto the floor where he was making fletchings and began to stare as she babbled to the ever-present lamb plushie. Leilani was quick to join her sister.</p>
<p>The little girl beamed at him before her smile vanished and turned into a sad little frown, "I miss mamma. Daddy said that she got sick like Nana an' she turned into one of the monsters. Did daddy turn into one of the monsters too?"</p>
<p>A deep sigh escaped from Marie's lips, "Your daddy was very <em>very</em> brave Leilani. He led <em>all</em> of the monsters away so that we could get out, remember?"</p>
<p>"I remember." The girl nodded, "Are we going to the lake today? You said we can see the water. My mamma said tha' a lake isn't as big as the ocean, like the one near our house. I miss going to the beach, daddy said it would be dif-diffi- <em>hard</em> to get back home because all the planes can't fly."</p>
<p>"Oh?" she hummed, more than happy to lead the conversation away from Kai's demise, "Do you remember where your daddy said you're from?"</p>
<p>"Yeah!" Leilani smiled widely showing off two missing lower teeth, "We lives on an island called Maui! Lots a people like to visit on vacation, but we live there <em>all</em> the time!"</p>
<p>"Oooh-weee," Merle teased with a grin on his face, "We got ourselves an islander, 'ere huh?"</p>
<p>Of course, Shane had to come around and ruin the peace.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 1477</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Pre-Atlanta Incident 2 Days (pt2)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Listen," the man started as he approached their camp, just the sound of his voice made all of them tense at his fucking presence. Leilani and Ailani -who had recognized him as the aggressive person from yesterday- quickly hid behind the closest person to them, "I jus' wanna apologize for how things went down yesterday. It was a stressful situation. And you can't blame me for getting concerned."</p>
<p>Merle snorted loudly as he shot the deputy a glare, "If a wan'ed ta hear yer opinion, we'd 'ave asked fer it. But we don' so ya can scat."</p>
<p>Shane shuffled on his feet but didn't move, "The others and I had a little chat. We're willing to put up with the new additions, but it's no lie that they're gonna be eatin' up a lot of our supplies. They're going to be takin' your time and attention away from being productive-"</p>
<p>The rage that had been steadily building up in Marie was wonderfully expressed by Merle. He abruptly stood up and charged in front of the man, "Listen real carefully Deputy Dipshit. All the things we have share' wit' you people was outta the goodness o' their hearts." he pointed backward at her, Glenn and Daryl, "If itta been up ta me... well, all ya'll o' been starvin' right now, 'cause we don't owe ya anythin'."</p>
<p>"Merle's right." Marie added as she stood up, one hand cradling the back of Iolnai's head, "There are supplies we haven't been sharing with the rest of the group. But we also don't technically have to share the stuff we, Glenn and I, have brought back on runs. But we do. Because we've been kind and generous for the sake of the children. For Amy, Sophia, Carl, Louis, and Eliza." she listed the names of the youngest members of the other group purposefully, "We'll take care of our own, so... just mind your business."</p>
<p>The deputy shifted on his feet purposefully as he glared at her harshly, "Marie this isn't fun and games. That baby strapped to yer chest is putting everyone else at risk. The least you and the rest of your group can do is pull your weights around this camp!"</p>
<p>"Excuse me!" Marie gasped out offended. Merle looked more than ready to throw his fist into the other man's face.</p>
<p>"What would you call all those runs I've been on?" Glenn snapped, "My sister and I have been risking our lives for you people-"</p>
<p>"Now, now," Dale intervened out of nowhere. He came between the three of them pleadingly, well five of them as she felt Daryl pull her elbow so that she was behind him and by Glenn's side, "That isn't fair on your part Shane. Glenn and Marie have done more than enough for this group. Between fishing and going on dangerous supply runs, they have certainly done their parts. And without the Dixons' hunting, we wouldn't have any fresh game." he defended.</p>
<p>Shane's nostrils flared, "Yeah, well, maybe if they shared the rest of the supplies we all know they're harboring inside that trailer, they wouldn't have to go out so often!"</p>
<p>"Maybe if ya'll know how ta ration better or know any useful shit we wouldn' have ta hunt or fish so much ta fill yer empty bellies!" Daryl countered angrily. Ailani whimpered fearfully in Glenn's arms. The toddler buried her face in the crook of Glenn's shoulder. The oldest Māhoe girl was now fully hiding behind Marie as the adults fought one another. This was getting out of hand... but god, this had long been coming.</p>
<p>"Hell ya do 'round 'ere anyway, Shane!" Merle spits out hatefully, "A 'aven't seen ya do anythin' ta pull yer weight 'round 'ere. All's you do is follow yer ol' lady 'round whereva' she goes an' hol' that rifle like it's yer childhood teddybear!"</p>
<p>"I'm keeping this group safe!" Shane shouted, "Hell of a lot more than you do! Sitting around your camp with a beer in yer hand!"</p>
<p>"Fuck you!" Glenn blurted out with an angry huff.</p>
<p>Merle knocked his shoulder against her brother's, "Wouldn' 'ave to if we weren' sure ya'll would steal all our shit if one a us ain't 'ere all the time!" he smiled sardonically, "I seen the woman in this camp do more shit than you! Ya even wash yer own damn clothes?"</p>
<p>"Naw, he wouldn' wanna break a nail." Daryl mocked.</p>
<p>"Mother-"</p>
<p>"Hey!" Dale shouted as he began reprimanding them, "That's enough! You are not children! You're making enough noise to draw all the geeks in the area over here."</p>
<p>Merle spits on the ground derisively, "Ain't the one tha' peacock'd on o'er 'ere an' started blabbin' ma mouth, keep yer distance from ma people an' we won' 'ave no issues." he turns to them and says in a more gentle tone as he takes in the frightened expressions of the girls, "Le's go, we ain't even finish makin' breakfast yet."</p>
<p>Iolani whined as he rubbed his face against her chest, a crying fit surely on his horizon. Marie started rocking her body side to side to quell the incoming fit as she headed back to the van, "What's wrong namja agi, are you hungry? Hmm, are you wet?" she cooed at the little boy. The rage she'd been carrying on her shoulders for the last few days finally starting to seep out.</p>
<p>Marie carefully lifted him out of the beige wrap and laid him on the large morphed bed. She grabbed the diaper bag before unearthing the wipes and a clean diaper, before undoing the buttons of his onesie and the straps of his diaper. Marie quickly swapped the soiled one for a new one before she could get peed on like he'd done to Glenn last night, before redoing the buttons on the onesie and cradling the infant back into her arms.</p>
<p>Iolani was so small and delicate in her arms. His fingers and toes furled and unfurled sporadically as he blinked up at her with wide trusting eyes. It was... humbling in a way, just how much this tiny human depended on her now. It was also pretty terrifying too. Having three young kids now permanently in her care. Relying on her. Seeking Marie for comfort...</p>
<p>"Ma'ie" Ailani squealed behind her, "Aa Ion!"</p>
<p>Marie shot the two-year-old a smile, "What happened Nani, do you want us to come back outside?"</p>
<p>"Side!" she chirruped while throwing her arms around Marie's legs in excitement. Marie giggled under her breath before carefully rewrapping Iolani to her chest.</p>
<p>"Okay, give me a minute, I need to get Ion's bottle. Can you help me?" she asked the toddler. Ailani eagerly nodded her head and ran to the diaper bag before thrusting a blue bottle into Marie's hand. "Thank you, Nani." Marie said in a grateful manner as she measured out the formula and mixed it in with the warm water. Marie double-checked that the top was screwed on tight before shaking the bottle in her left hand. She offered her free one to Ailani, "Come on, let's go outside."</p>
<p>The toddler squealed happily as they stepped back out of the van and into the sun. Merle and Glenn were having a whispered argument over what went first: the powdered milk mixed with the water or oatmeal and water first. Daryl shot her a pleading look, all but verbally begging her to end the 'riveting discussion' so that they could just eat. Marie snorted under her breath as she plopped back down in her fold-out chair.</p>
<p>"The water and the milk go first this time," she stated bluntly, before winking at Leilani who had been watching the argument with rapt attention.</p>
<p>The six-year-old giggled and moved to lean by Marie's chair. Merle crowed happily while Glenn scoffed petulantly and sent her betrayed looks. Marie rolled her eyes and teasingly rubbed the nipple of the bottle onto Iolnai's lower lip. The infant began smacking his lip and let out a coo. Lailani giggled at her little brother's antics as Marie finally placed the nipple in his mouth. He didn't waste any time and began sucking happily. Ailani had wandered off to Daryl's side once more and was showing off her plushie to the man while she babbled. Daryl listened and hummed encouragingly every once in a while as he finished cleaning his fletchings. Thankfully, now that the argument between their older brothers was finished, they were almost finished with the oatmeal.</p>
<p>"Um, Ms. Marie?" a soft voice questioned behind her. Marie shot a small encouraging smile at Sophia, who was standing nervously by the van, twirling a couple of daisies in her hand, "I found, well- I think I found some daises and I wanted to show it to you, um, because you said we always have to show the plants we pick first."</p>
<p>Marie shot the preteen a proud smile and gestured for her to get closer, "Good job, Sophia. Let me see." she instructed as she observed the preening little girl's find. "These are definitely daisies, you have a good eye, Sophia."</p>
<p>The twelve-year-old straightened before peering at the baby lazily sucking on his bottle, "Wow, he's so tiny."</p>
<p>"Yup!" Leilani piped up as she stared at the older girl curiously, "That's my baby brother. He was born, um, t-two weeks ago. It'll be a long time 'til he can play big kid games like Nani and me."</p>
<p>"Oh, he's very cute." Sophia complimented as she stared at the younger girls slowly getting closer to her, "I always wanted to have a little brother or sister, but mama said that she was happy with just me."</p>
<p>"Damn, shame." Merle commented, startling the skinny blonde, "Everybody oughtta got a 'ave a brotha o' sista."</p>
<p>Sophia smiled shyly at the rough-looking man, "That's what I said!"</p>
<p>Merle cackled as his smile softened, "Ain't you a smart one."</p>
<p>And Merle said that <em>Marie</em> was a pushover when it came to kids.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 1735<br/>~-~-~-~-~-~<br/>I've been really busy, so this is the first chance I've had to update! I'm entering finals week now for the Fall semester, and I've just been swamped with work. LOL, the life of an English major is no joke.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Pre-Atlanta Incident 2 Days (pt3)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The rest of the morning and afternoon went a lot calmer. Daryl had decided to go hunting, a lot more comfortable in the solitude of the forest than in the camp where people were still sending them all strange looks. Merle was kind enough to be something of an escort for Marie today, as she brought the kids down to the lake with all the laundry that needed to be done. Leilani and Ailani had been thrilled with the sight of the pristine lake, though they had agreed that it was too cold to take a dip in. Marie, with Iolani sleeping soundly on her back, washed their clothes quickly with a washboard as the girls giggled and kicked the shallow water with their feet to throw stones into the depths.</p><p>Not long after, the other women of the camp made the trip down to the lake to wash their own loads. The mother's of the group smiled and softly cooed at Marie's young charges, all the while most of them shot Merle nervous looks as he stood back to back with Marie as he diligently kept watch.</p><p>Glenn was back at their camp, under strict orders from Marie that he tell anyone that came around asking him to go on another run 'no' before ignoring them, boiling water and refilling the pump in the campervan and the giant blue barrel. If her brother was gone when they came back up, she would kick his butt before gleefully letting the Dixons stomp his ass.</p><p>When Marie finally finished with the clothes she squeezed out the extra water from the fabric and placed them in the laundry basket. Merle carried the heavy basket up the hill, while Marie held onto one of the smaller baskets that held all of their undergarments with one arm and held the hand of Ailani with the other. Leilani was more than a little thrilled with their trip down to the lake and already wanted to know when they could make another. Hopefully, all three Māhoe children would agree to take a nap now so that she and Glenn could do some fishing for dinner.</p><p>Between all of them, they were able to put all of their laundries on the line to dry within twenty minutes before Marie made the girls a snack to hold them over until dinner time. Iolani had woken up then for a changing and another bottle, after he finished eating the infant was content to simply rest against Marie's chest as she corralled the Māhoe girls into the van and into the bed for a nap. It surprisingly wasn't too difficult to get them to fall asleep after she played the 'night-time' tape their father had given her. With the older children napping, Marie was able to fold all of the now dried laundry and put them where they belong.</p><p>With Marie keeping watch of their camp, Merle and Glenn had decided that they would go down to the lake and fish for dinner themselves. Marie didn't mind at all. It meant that she could relax for a while since her chores were done and her charges were napping. It was while she was relaxing in the fold-out chair by her van, humming a Beetle's song lightly under her breath to a transfixed Iolani, while mending one of Daryl's jeans that the other children of the group approached her curiously.</p><p>"Good afternoon, Ms. Marie." Sophia called out politely as she led the group of four kids to her area.</p><p>"Hey, guys." Marie offered, taking her eyes off the pants for a second to greet them, "What's up, do you need something?"</p><p>"No." Carl spoke up this time, "We were just bored. My mom's out in the forest getting those mushrooms you showed everyone and Shane's scouting..."</p><p>Sophia nodded, "My mama's down at the lake doing laundry."</p><p>"Mami is going too!" Louis piped up.</p><p>"She said that we should stay with you until she comes back." Eliza reported as she played with the hem of her doll's dress.</p><p>"I see," Marie hummed, "Well, I'm not doing anything fun either... you guys are gonna get bored with me too."</p><p>"That's not true, Ms. Marie!" Sophia protested, "You know so many stories! Like, um, the one with the girl who got trapped in the spirit world and became friends with a dragon."</p><p>Carl had a wide excited grin on his face as he agreed, "Yeah! That one was really cool! Even if their names are a little weird." he added with his nose scrunched up making the others giggle.</p><p>"Could you tell us another one?" Eliza asked shyly as sat down on the log Daryl and Merle had claimed. Louis was quick to join his sister and nod his head excitedly. The other children began to immediately send her pleading looks as they found their own perch to sit on.</p><p>"Alright," Marie chuckled softly, "I'm not going to stop sewing up these pants though... Let's see, have you ever heard the tale of Howl's Moving Castle?"</p><p>"No." Louis shook his head cutely, making his shaggy hair bounce, "What does it mean? A movin' castle?"</p><p>Marie grinned mischievously, "In a world very different from our own, a world where magic's real and they're special people called wizards and witches that can use this magic to help others."</p><p>"Like in Harry Potter?" Sophia questioned.</p><p>"Yeah, kind of like that. Now in this world, there's a war going on between two kingdoms so the King of Ingary..." Marie was halfway through the retelling of the story when Leilani and Ailani woke up from their nap and joined the other children happily. She could spot the mothers of the Morales children and Sophia re-entering the camp with the other women that'd done laundry, "Well, let's end the story here-"</p><p>"Aww! Why?" Eliza whined, "What's gonna happen to Sophie? Is Howl really mad with Sophie now that his hair is orange?"</p><p>"Yeah!" Sophia agreed, "That's a really silly reason to get mad at someone!"</p><p>"Howl's kinda a baby for being such a powerful wizard." Carl snorted, "Can't he just magic his hair blonde again?"</p><p>Before Marie could respond, Miranda and Carol approached the group, "What are you kids talking about?" the Hispanic woman asked curiously.</p><p>"Mami! Marie's telling us about Wizard Howl and Sophie! Howl's really mad 'cause when Sophie was cleaning the magic castle she messed up with his potions!" Eliza explained with a wide smile on her tan face.</p><p>Sophia nodded, "Yeah! He's acting like a brat just 'cause his hair turned orange mama!"</p><p>Carol smiled softly at her daughter, "Orange?"</p><p>"Orange is my favorite color!" Louis added, "I wish I can make <em>my</em> hair orange with magic."</p><p>Miranda's eyebrow rose, "Well, I like the color your hair is now. <em>Vamos</em>, I need some help." her kids immediately started whining though they both stopped when she gave them a stern look, "Uh, uh. You can find out the end tomorrow. Let's go. Thank you for watching them Marie." Miranda smiled gratefully as she led her grumbling kids away.</p><p>"You too, Sophia, I think you've all bothered Marie long enough."</p><p>"Oh," Marie gushed out as she assured the women, "They're no bother. Your kids are all well-behaved. Besides, they kept me company while the girls were napping."</p><p>"Can Sophia stay and play?" Leilani asked shyly, "Nani doesn't play very good yet..."</p><p>"Mama?" Sophia asked.</p><p>Carol eyed her daughter and a hopeful Leilani before looking back at Marie, Marie for her part just smiled wryly and nodded that it was alright with her. The woman sighed and nodded, "Alrigh' but listen to Marie alright?"</p><p>"Okay!"</p><p>"Carol?" Carl questioned, "Is my mom back yet?"</p><p>She shared a nervous look with Carol as the woman shook her head, "Not yet Carl. Don't worry too much. Your mom's smart. She probably found a lot of mushrooms and got held up."</p><p>"You can hang out with us until she gets here." Marie offered kindly, "I got something pretty cool we can do in the van..."</p><p>Carl's worried expression melted into a curious one, "What?"</p><p>"Well..." Marie teased as all of the kids leaned in curiously, "How much do you miss watching TV?"</p><p>Sophia and Carl gasped, "You have a TV?" Carl blurted out.</p><p>"Yup! And I also got a movie called 'Spirited Away' that you might be interested in..." Marie smiled.</p><p>"Wait! Like the story you told us about!" Sophia blurted out excitedly, "With Chi-Chihiro and Haku?"</p><p>"Yup!"</p><p>"Alright!" the older kids cheered as Leilani and Ailani cheered with them despite not knowing what was so great. With the kids now happily watching the film, as they cuddled on the bed, being projected onto the back doors of the van Marie began putting away the mended clothes.</p><p>"Thank you."</p><p>Marie startled, making Iolani whine before settling down, as she whipped around to stare at Carol. The woman had left to hang up the laundry when Marie had corralled the kids into the van. Marie hadn't even heard the short-haired woman walk up, too busy in her own head to pay attention to her surroundings. "I- um, what?"</p><p>Carol smiled at Marie in a soft manner, "Thank you for making Sophia smile like that. I haven' seen her this happy in a long time. You're doin' something truly wonderful for these children."</p><p>"Oh, um, it's something anyone else would have done." Marie mumbled as her cheeks warmed.</p><p>"It's not, but what you're doing, your brother, and the Dixons' well, it's truly admirable." Carol insisted strongly, "And what you've done, teachin' these children about plants... I jus' wanted to thank you for giving my daughter somethin' to look forward to."</p><p>She ducked her head with embarrassment, "It's no problem. Sophia's a pleasure to have around."</p><p>Carol sent her another warm smile, "If you ever need help with your little ones, jus' come to me. I'd love to help. I haven' held a baby that small since my Sophia was that young."</p><p>An awkward giggle huffed out of her lips, "I'd like that."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 1731<br/>~-~-~-~-~-<br/>In the next chapter, we finally reach canon.... get excited people!!!<br/>~-~-~-~-~-<br/>Marie: Glenn stop being a pushover! Don't let those people tell you what to do!<br/>Merle: Hell yea! We don' owe those shits nothin'!<br/>.....5 seconds later<br/>-A horde of children surrounds Marie.-<br/>Marie: ...<br/>Sophia: Our moms told us to stay with you.<br/>Marie: Okay.<br/>Marie: Hey, kids let me tell you a story...<br/>...<br/>Glenn: The only pushover here is Marie.<br/>-Louis sneezes cutely.-<br/>Glenn: Aww!<br/>...<br/>Merle: Yer both hopeless.<br/>Daryl: *nods* The kid needs a tissue.<br/>Merle: *disgusted*</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Atlanta Incident (pt1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Last night's fish fry had been a huge success with the Māhoe girls. Ailani had squealed and made 'gimme' hands when she caught sight of the two lines of fish her brother and Merle were carrying. They got back from their successful excursion half an hour after the Ghibli film had ended and the older kids returned to their mothers. Marie had laughed until she had a stitch in her side when Leilani danced around the fire and sang her fish song -<em>"Fish! Fish are food~ Yummy! Yummy!"</em>- until dinner was done.</p>
<p>Shane's group had shot Glenn grateful looks when he gave them a line and shot glares at Merle when he teased Glenn for being soft. Daryl had slunk back into their camp later than usual.</p>
<p>
  <em>"Foun' some deer tracks!" he'd crowed happily as he plopped down by the fire and placed his line of squirrel -ten fat ones- on the tarp where he cleaned them. "Was pretty close to the camp. Gonna head out early tomorrow an' not come back 'til I catch 'er."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Merle had nodded his head approvingly, stiffening a little when Ailani tiredly laid her head down on his lap, "Shoulda stayed out there 'til you caught it."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Nah," Glenn waved his head, "Daryl did the right thing by coming back. We would've been worried if he never showed up." Marie had nodded her head in agreement as she fed Iolani.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Merle and Daryl had rolled their eyes in unison, "Ya'll worry ta much." the older Dixon retorted.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Woulda stayed, but I lost the trail wit' the sun gone. Gonna borrow the headlamp. I'll probably be gone two days."</em>
</p>
<p>And that was the end of that. Daryl and Merle had skinned the squirrels after she'd taken the girls inside, Ailani had nodded off on Merle's lap and Lailani wasn't far behind when Marie decided to call it an evening for them and tuck them into bed. Five of the squirrels were placed in a reusable ziplock bag and frozen in the cooler for another day while the other half were carefully smoked and turned into jerky. The new nighttime routine for Iolani was exhausting, but... it was kinda worth it.</p>
<p>All of the Māhoe children were still happily sleeping this morning when Shane had come to bother them once more. Daryl had already left by then, he'd practically ran when the sun appeared on the horizon. Marie and Glenn were indulging themselves with the first cup of coffee they'd had in a long time -<em>since they had been saving them up for a 'rainy day'</em>- while Merle finished up the fletchings Daryl had started making the day before, since there weren't any young children afoot to get in the way. Merle's favorite spot to sit in was facing the other group, so he was the first to see the former deputy coming their way.</p>
<p>"Fuckin' pig's comin' over 'ere '<em>gain</em>. Wha's a man gotta do ta make 'im understand tha' he's not wanted 'ere." Merle growled under his breath, his voice full of annoyance as he spat on the ground.</p>
<p>"I'm not here to cause any problems. Was out of line yesterday. I apologize for that." Shane started as he shifted on his heels, "Ya'll made a good point yesterday, Glenn and Marie have been making runs on their own since we got here an' it's times that <em>we</em> started pulling our weight."</p>
<p>Well, <em>that</em> was an understatement.</p>
<p>"That's why," Shane continued as he stared at Glenn, "We wanted to know if you could lead a group on a run to the city."</p>
<p>"Oh, um," Glenn stammered, "H-How large of a group?"</p>
<p>"Four. T-Dog, Morales, Andrea, and Jacqui have volunteered to go." Shane stated as he gestured to the group behind him. Marie hadn't spoken to T-Dog since she brought the Māhoe kids to the camp the day before. Even then, their previous conversations were all in a passing manner since they all had their own tasks to complete every day. The man had been keeping himself busy by patrolling the perimeter and making water runs to the lake since he'd returned to the quarry, he'd also been put in charge of distributing all of the supplies Marie and Glenn brought back from their runs.</p>
<p>Juan Morales, from what she'd observed was a good man. He'd been the one taking care of the two fires their group had, she'd seen him making good use out of Dale's ax and chopping down wood to keep said fires going. Jacqui was an African-American woman that'd become good friends with T-Dog, she was always the first person to jump and help someone when it looked like they needed it. The last woman, Andrea, was Amy's older sister. Andrea had been pretty vocal about the job distribution around the camp, she was <em>not</em> happy that all the women had been stuck doing all the chores while the majority of the men sat on their asses holding guns.</p>
<p>Merle seemed content to stay out of it today as he stood up and declared that he was "Goin' ta take a piss."</p>
<p>Glenn eyed her pleadingly. Marie shrugged her shoulders. She wasn't too sure if she liked that idea. The four volunteers were novices and no one else had left the quarry since the start of this whole mess. Did they even <em>know</em> how to put down a geek?</p>
<p>"Can they kill geeks?" Marie asked as she sipped her coffee, "Follow directions?"</p>
<p>Her brother nodded as he added his own concerns, "The city is crawling with the dead. Taking a group might not be the <em>best</em> idea... the only way it would work is if they can listen to directions. I don't have any intention of dying-"</p>
<p>"We talked it over last night. Seeing as you're the most experienced, you too Marie... though with your new charges- well you can't go <em>now</em>, they'd be following your direction. We're hoping that ya'll get everything we need for a long while." Shane explained as he rubbed the back of his head and kneeled down before speaking in a lower tone, "Truth is, we're all startin' to lose hope that help is coming. I think that we'd best start looking at our options, maybe move on. Make it to a military base. But we'll need supplies to last us for the trip."</p>
<p>That... was fair.</p>
<p>"Okay." Glenn whispered after a moment of contemplation, "Make a list."</p>
<p>The former deputy shot them a small triumphant grin as he turned back towards his camp. Marie shot her brother a concerned look, "Are you sure about this Glenn? I can't come with you this time <em>Oppa</em>."</p>
<p>"I know." he said in a reassuring manner, "But maybe he's right. Merle's said it before, the military isn't going to be able to do jackshit. And the quarry's too close to the city. What happens when the geeks run out of food? What about the kids?"</p>
<p>Marie nodded as she rubbed her own forehead, "That's true... they don't even have any winter clothes. Ion's gonna grow out of the things he has soon too."</p>
<p>"The mall in Atlanta has a kid's section, if you make a list of their sizes I can fill up a bag of things for them." Glenn stated factually, "There's a store not too far from there either, we can stock up on formula too."</p>
<p>"Okay, okay." Marie sighed, "I'll make a list."</p>
<p>"Wha's goin' on 'ere?" Merle questioned as he plopped down in his spot.</p>
<p>"I'm making the run to Atlanta." Glenn stated confidently, "We need some things for the kids... and well, we can't stay at the quarry forever. Might as well grab as much as we can with a bigger group and get ready to leave."</p>
<p>Merle nodded after a moment, "I'll come wit' you."</p>
<p>"Actually..." Marie spoke up, "D-Do you think you could stay here? I know it's nowhere near as exciting as going to the city, but I need some help juggling the kids and getting things done around here."</p>
<p>The older Dixon eyes her consideringly as he rubbed the sparse beard on his chin, "<em>Fine</em>, I'm still <em>not</em> changin' any diapers."</p>
<p>Glenn left ten minutes later, the list she'd made in the pocket of his jersey, right before the children woke up. Leilani was put off that both Daryl and Glenn had left before she'd woken, but some of the leftover fish fry for breakfast put a smile right back on her face. Ailani didn't seem to notice the difference, though it could also be explained by her complete focus on the pieces of fish she was stuffing into her mouth. Despite his protests and denials, Merle was really good with Ailani and Iolani. He cradled the infant in an almost expert manner as he bottle-fed the youngest Māhoe while Marie cleaned up some of the dishes she'd been putting off.</p>
<p>He'd admitted, after some prompting, that besides Daryl -<em>when his brother was an infant himself-</em> that there were a lot of young children in the trailer park they'd lived at. Watching the kids for the women living there had been easy money for the brothers when they weren't doing odd jobs or working at garages. Merle had looked away when she asked him if the trailer park the brother's lived in had been overrun before quietly admitting that there had been a fire. "None o' the kids we used ta watch was alive when Daryl an' I got there. We left an' didn' look back."</p>
<p>Marie didn't push the matter -<em>the pain that had flashed over his entire face was raw</em>- or tease him either when she saw him make funny faces at a giggly Ailani. Leilani sat at his feet with rapt attention as Merle regaled the tale of the time he took Daryl fishing the first time.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 1706<br/>~-~-~-~-~-~<br/>-~-~-~-~-<br/>Leilani: Fish are friends! Not food!<br/>-Leilani happily chews on her dinner... which is fish-<br/>Leilani: Except when they're yummy! Fish~<br/>Glenn: I sorta understood that reference.<br/>-Daryl and Merle blink-<br/>Merle: What reference?<br/>Marie: *snorts as a smirk pulls onto the corners of her lips* Oppa, we are the superior pop culture beings.<br/>Glenn: *rubbing his hands* Yes, yes we are.<br/>-Glenn eyes the brothers-<br/>Glenn: Uncultured swine.<br/>-Marie and Glenn cackle superiorly-<br/>Daryl: *glares* Ya'll are fucking nuts.<br/>Merle: Ain't no doubt 'bout that.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Atlanta Incident (pt2)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A couple of hours later, sometime after lunch, Marie watched curiously as a bunch of people ran towards Shane's C.B. where it had been perched by the fire pit that most of his group converged around in the evening.</p><p>"I'll be damned..." Merle murmured beside her as a voice crackled over the radio.</p><p>She hummed, "It makes sense that we're not the only ones still alive. I mean, these kids are living proof of that."</p><p>Merle shrugged as he took a sip out of one of his treasured beers while he watched the Māhoe girls giggle as they chased each other around a few feet away from them. Leilani seemed to tire out after a few moments before plopping down ungracefully onto the ground where she'd abandoned her coloring book earlier. Amy was the first person to crouch by the C.B. and bring the mouthpiece closer to her lips and respond, though it didn't really do any good anyway since the man on the other line didn't seem to be able to hear her. The stranger claimed that he was heading towards Atlanta on highway 85. The poor bastard must not know that the city had been claimed by the dead a long time ago.</p><p>Iolani cooed cutely making Marie shoot the infant strapped to her chest a small smile before turning to look back at the group. Shane loudly embedded his ax into the stump and grabbed the mouthpiece from Amy when she failed to communicate with the stranger. Did the man have to do that with such force?</p><p>"Hello, hello? Is the person who called still on the air?" he paused for a moment, trying to give the stranger some time to respond, "This is Officer Shane Walsh broadcasting to person unknown. Please respond." the radio crackled static, "He's gone." Shane shook his head impatiently as he placed the mouthpiece back down.</p><p>"There are others. It's not just us." Lori piped up after a moment, addressing the same thought Marie had aloud for the others. Carl's mother had approached the C.B. and the other curious bystanders when Shane had crouched down to take the matter into his own hands.</p><p>Shane hadn't stood up just yet from his spot beside the C.B. as he ran his fingers through his hair in aggravation, "We knew there would be, right? That's why we left the C.B. on."</p><p>"A lot of good it's been doing." Lori started strongly, "And I've been saying for a week we oughtta put signs up on 85 to warn people away from the city."</p><p>Her head tilted to the side curiously as she exchanged a look with Merle. Marie <em>hadn't</em> heard that before at all. Then again, no matter how much she'd been getting closer to the children of the group, they <em>were</em> still something of outcasts to the majority of the others.</p><p>"Folks got no idea what they're getting into." Amy added sadly with a forlorn look on her face.</p><p>"Well, we haven't had time." Shane stated in a hard tone as he stood up decisively.</p><p>Merle let out an almost silent snort as he shared an amused look with Marie and whispered with disdain, "Only ones tha' ain't had any time ta do shit is <em>us</em>. Huntin,' fishing,' an' goin' on runs." Marie nodded in agreement as she watched Lori cock her hip and place a hand on it seriously.</p><p>"I think we need to <em>make</em> time." the woman insisted.</p><p>Shane rubbed his scruffy beard, "Yeah, that- that's a luxury we can't afford. We are surviving here. We are day to day."</p><p>"And who do you propose we send?" Dale added softly, as if to soften the blow.</p><p>"<em>I'll</em> go." Lori spat, "Give me a vehicle."</p><p>"Fuckin' <em>drama</em>." Merle sighed as he took another sip.</p><p>Shane wasn't going to let his booty- Carl's <em>mother</em> go anywhere. Marie sighed in agreement before deciding to just ignore the small spectacle happening in the other group's camp altogether. She did <em>not</em> want to spend her day listening to the group's petty squabbles and dramatics. That'd be just a recipe for a massive headache and unwanted frustration. Marie rolled her eyes when Lori finally stormed off angrily, shaking her head at the woman's immaturity when Carl jumped up to his feet in distress, and turned back to the plantain root she was turning into soap.</p><p>A few minutes went by before Merle brought her attention to Sophia and Eliza, who had approached their campsite in visible excitement with bunches of flowers in their arms. "Looks like yer girls foun' somethin,' Chinadoll."</p><p>The two preteens eyed Merle somewhat warily before coming closer to Marie with wide smiles painted on their faces. "Look, Marie! I think we found some ivy! Um, the creeping charlie!" Eliza cheered as she deposited the flowers in front of Marie.</p><p>Marie picked up one of the stems and inspected it before shooting the girls a smile, "Yup, that's creeping charlie alright... Good job girls!"</p><p>"We picked some more daisies too, Miss Marie. Can we make some tea with them again?" Sophia stated as she showed off the white flowers.</p><p>"Definitely." Marie smiled softly, "Though let's wait until nighttime, yeah? It'd be nice to drink some warm tea before bed, what do you think?" The girls bobbed their heads in unison, "You two are doing a wonderful job, definitely want you girls with me the next time I go out foraging."</p><p>The twelve-year-olds giggled proudly as they grabbed their finds and ran to show them off to their mothers. Merle snorted, "Chinadoll you is <em>too</em> nice."</p><p>Her brow rose challengingly as she eyed the older man. Merle was currently being used as a monkey bar by Ailani as she climbed on top of his shoulders and began playing with his short sweaty hair, "And you're not?"</p><p>The redneck let out one of his customary booming laughs, "Got me there, but these lil' ones are <em>ours</em>. Ain't gotta be nice ta the ones that ain't our responsibility."</p><p>Leilani didn't even look up from her coloring book at the boisterous sound that'd escaped from Merle, the girl was too preoccupied coloring as she made one of her princesses a lime-green. Marie eyed Merle softly, "Yeah... You know Merle, I can totally see you as a dad."</p><p>Merle snorted, startled, as some beer went down his nose, "Hell, why'd you say tha,' look at ma poor beer. Whatta waste..." he sighed mournfully before shooting her a small glare from the corner of his eyes.</p><p>"It's true." Marie nodded decisively, "I can see you wearing matching leather jackets and teaching them how to hunt with you and Daryl on weekends."</p><p>"Tha's the stupidest thing tha' e'er come out yer mouth." Merle snorted, "Ol' Merle <em>ain't</em> daddy material."</p><p>Marie sighed as she rolled her eyes, "Whatever you say, Merle."</p><p>Sometimes there was really no arguing with the guy, especially when he got that particularly stubborn look on his face. Was it really so <em>terrible</em> that she said he'd be a good dad? The Dixon's were a bit testy like that. Weird about the little things. Privately, Marie couldn't help but wonder if the brothers had been abused as children. They reminded her an awful lot of the closest friend she'd made back in Korea. Joon-ki had become her greatest friend after the boy had defended Marie against one of their maliciously jealous classmates. The other teen had been making fun of her for living with her grandparents rather than with her parents in America, and had made some pretty <em>awful</em> comments.</p><p>Joon-ki had lived on one of the farms not too far from her grandparents' place with his father and two younger sisters. It hadn't taken Marie too long to figure out that there was something <em>very</em> wrong happening in his household. Her friend was always showing up with bruises and was in constant pain for some reason or another. Excuses falling from his lips as easy as breathing. Sure, there had been a lot of rumors going around that Joon-ki was brutish and got into fights often, but Marie had never seen that for herself. Besides, despite his sometimes explosive anger when he was cornered, Marie had learned over time that Joon-ki abhorred violence and fighting of any kind. It was only after Joon-ki had appeared at her grandparents' farm -<em>in the middle of the night, mind you</em>- with his sobbing little sisters that Marie finally scrounged up her courage and confronted her friend on the situation.</p><p>Marie's grandparents had been particularly enraged when they discovered the <em>extent</em> of abuse that the Pak siblings had been inflicted. In the end, her grandparents had decided to foster her best friend and his sisters. Her <em>hal-abeoji</em> had even offered to adopt all three of them, but Joon-ki had simply replied that they didn't <em>need </em>to be adopted to be family. Something that Marie's <em>halmeoni</em> had gleefully agreed upon before smothering the Pak girls and a pink Joon-ki with hugs.</p><p>It'd been a year since Marie had last seen Joon-ki in person... she'd had the opportunity to go and see them last summer, but she'd been too busy. She regretted not going now. Marie missed him, she could only hope that her grandparents, Joon-ki and the Pak girls were together and flourishing in this new crueler world. The Pak siblings had inherited her grandparents' rice patty farm when her <em>hal-abeoji</em> decided that he was too old to work the land anymore with his wife. Hopefully, all of the villagers had come together and fortified the farmlands from the walking dead. It was possible... the farms were pretty isolated and far away from any large cities. Maybe this <em>disease</em> hadn't hit Korea too badly.</p><p>Merle and Daryl both acted a <em>lot</em> like the Pak siblings. Joon-ki had also once claimed vehemently that he would never get married <em>or</em> have children out of fear of turning into his father -<em>"You don't get it Mae-Ri! I'm just fucking like him, I-I get so angry sometimes! I don't ever want to be like him! I'm not going to chance it, I'm never gonna have kids!"</em>- it'd broken Marie's heart to hear him speak so terribly about himself but she'd never brought it back up again. The Dixon brother's acted like skittish animals when it comes to skinship, always flinching or tensing up when someone lays a hand on them... especially if they hadn't seen it coming first.</p><p>She hadn't shared her suspicions with Glenn. Not only out of respect for what was probably a very touchy and sensitive topic for the strong-willed brothers, but also because Glenn would <em>definitely</em> not be able to act like she hadn't said anything in the first place. He'd get all weird and awkward for a few days as he assimilated the information before going back to normal... and considering that the Dixons and the Rhees had become a close-knit group... well, the brothers would have noticed right away and confronted Glenn, who in a typical Glenn-fashion would have spilled the metaphorical beans. Which was something that Marie did not <em>ever</em> want to navigate through. Nope. Instead, Marie would carefully keep her suspicions to herself until or unless the brothers came to her first.</p><p>The Māhoe girls had been more than happy to 'help' Marie and Merle bring up water from the lake to boil. Leilani had spent a good ten minutes gleefully running along the cool shore while her little sister stared at the water with clear longing as she giggled merrily when the water tickled her toes. Admittedly, she and Merle had let the girls play for a while longer than they would have as they ever-so-<em>slowly</em> filled up their jugs in the wagon before corralling the Māhoe girls back up to their camp when they heard the sky rumble above them in warning -<em>"Most likely jus' a squall." Merle had mumbled before staring at the sleeping infant on Marie's chest, "Best get 'em inside."</em>- sending Ailani into Merle's arms fearfully.</p><p>Of course, they had arrived to witness the end of some other <em>drama</em> with Shane's group as Amy cursed out said deputy that was their unofficial leader before storming off.</p><p>Merle whistled lowly, before murmuring to her, "They like ya better, best ta find out wha' happen' I'll get the girls inside," before he told Leilani to follow him. Ailani was still burying her face into the crook of Merle's shoulder since the sky was still rumbling in a threatening manner above their heads, as he pulled the wagon behind him with his free hand.</p><p>Marie simply nodded as she approached the tense group. it was best to get this over with so that she could get Iolani inside before the sky broke open above their heads. "What's going on?"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 2226<br/>~-~-~-~-~-~-~<br/>-~-~-~-~-<br/>Merle: It's hard bein' the only one tha' don' melt when a rugrat bats their eyes at chu.<br/>-Merle eyes his brother and the Rhees cooing over Iolani-<br/>Merle: A 'spected Chinadoll her brotha ta fall tits firs' over 'em *shakes head* but Daryl... 'M the only real man left.<br/>-Ailani squeaks cutely and hands Merle a teacup-<br/>Merle: Thank you Nani. Now, ol' Merle don' drink tea, ya got anythin' stronger? Can do shots a whiskey wit' a cup this small-<br/>Sophia: Sorry Mister Dixon, all I gots is tea made outta daisies.<br/>Merle: *sighs* That'll 'ave ta do.<br/>...<br/>...<br/>...<br/>T-Dog: *disturbed* Is- Is Merle drinking outta a pink teacup?<br/>Carol: Yes.<br/>Carol: *nods decisively* It's precious.<br/>T-Dog: ...<br/>____________________________<br/>HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Atlanta Incident (pt3)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The guilty and nervous looks that were immediately exchanged by the other campers made Marie tense anxiously as she repeated her question once more strongly, "What's going on?"</p><p>Shane sighed and rubbed the back of his head as he turned to look at her in the eyes, "There's a problem in Atlanta."</p><p><em>Glenn</em>.</p><p>Oh god.</p><p>"What sort of problem?" she blurted out nervously.</p><p>"We got a transmission from T-Dog. The group's trapped in the department store, they're completely surrounded by the dead." he stated calmly, pity dripping from his voice as if he'd already written them off as dead, "They got cut off-"</p><p>"I'm going to go get them." Marie breathed out determinedly as she turned around and started marching to her van. Iolani was still sleeping against her, and despite not wanting to wake the infant up, she needed to move him into his Moses basket and get ready to leave. She was <em>not</em> going to leave Glenn in the city overnight. That was an actual <em>death</em> sentence with the current state of Atlanta.</p><p>"Marie! Hey, Marie! Wait up!" Shane called after her as he ran to catch up to her before grabbing her arm, making Marie whirl around to look at him when she didn't stop, "I can't let you go after them, I'm sorry, but that's a suicide mission. T-Dog said that there were hundreds, <em>thousands</em> of the dead bastards around the store. You'll get yourself killed if you go out there now."</p><p>Marie glared hatefully at the former cop as she ripped her arm out of his grasp, "Don't <em>touch</em> me. <em>You</em> can't tell me what to do asshole! That's <em>my brother</em> you want to abandon. There's no way in hell you'll be able to stop me." she hissed as turned back around.</p><p>Shane wasn't taking her refusal as an answer as his voice practically boomed in her face as he whirled her around once more, "You're <em>not</em> leaving! Nobody is!" Iolani flinched awake as he wailed against Marie's sweaty shirt.</p><p>"HEY!" Merle shouted angrily as he stormed over and pushed Shane away, "You don' touch 'er!" Tears were starting to stream down her face as she rocked Iolani, "I see you put yer filthy hands on 'er again an' I'll break yer fuckin' face! You 'ear me!"</p><p>The former deputy raised his hands in the air and backed up, "You need to talk some sense into her! She wants to head into Atlanta!"</p><p>"Glenn's in trouble you asswipe!" Marie hissed as Iolani's loud wails tampered off into distressed hiccups.</p><p>"Wha's goin' on? Wha's wron' wi' Chinaman?" Merle growled out as he glared at a silent Shane, "Never 'ave no trouble flappin' ya lips afore-"</p><p>"The group got trapped inside the department store," Shane cut off angrily, "They're surrounded by thousands of the dead. <em>No one</em> is going after them."</p><p>Merle glared at Shane hatefully, "Shut yer fuckin' mouth. Don' need ta listen ta yer stupidity. Come on Chinadoll, wipe those tears gurl, le's go." the older Dixon instructed as he led her to their camp. Marie rubbed her flushed cheeks as Merle motioned for her to get into the van. As soon as they were both inside, he shut the doors of the van a tad violently as they both settled down in their chairs. Leilani and Ailani were eyeing them warily as their little brother finally stopped his whines and settled against Marie tiredly. "Ya need ta calm down Chinadoll."</p><p>"B-But Glenn's-"</p><p>"I know Marie." Merle cut her off seriously, "But Glenn's a smart guy, he don' need 'is lil' sista blowin' outta a camp an' into th' city righ' now." Another distant rumble coming from the sky reached her ears as the skies opened up and rain poured out, hitting the van in a comforting rhythmic pattern.</p><p>Marie breathed in deeply as she willed away the tears from her eyes, "He's, just- I'm <em>scared</em> Merle."</p><p>The older Dixon looked uncomfortable, and definitely out of his comfort zone, as he rubbed the back of his short hair, "Ain' naw reason ta be. He's gonna be <em>fine.</em> Yer gonna be fine. Lil' ones gonna be fine too. Daryl an' I ain' gonna let <em>anythin</em>' 'appen. Got it?" he added gruffly.</p><p>She sniffled as she rubbed away errant tears before nodding as some of the tension and despair that had built up in her chest dissipated, "Right."</p><p>Relief practically poured out of the Dixon making Marie hide a snort, "Goo' 'cause a moment longer an' we'da 'ad ta start braidin' each other's hair."</p><p>A slightly hysterical giggle escaped from Marie's lips as Leilani approached the man, "But you don't got a lot of hair, Merle... Marie can't braid that."</p><p>Merle chortled, "Ain't you an observant lil' thang? Once the squall's stopped I'll fin' some wood tha's not wet, hopefully, this lil' bit a rain won' put out a fire."</p><p>"Sounds reasonable." Maire nodded as she unwrapped Iolani from her chest and laid him down in his Moses basket, "I'm just glad I brought all the soap I made inside before we went down to get water."</p><p>"Yeah!" Leilani added, "My coloring book too!"</p><p>"Tha' why you always gotta put yer stuff back where it goes when yer done." Merle added wisely, "Otherwise it'll get ruined."</p><p>"I think its time to start making dinner." Marie murmured. She <em>needed</em> to move, needed to do <em>something,</em> anything to get her mind off Glenn, "Any requests?"</p><p>"Beer!" Merle crowed as Ailani climbed onto his lap. Marie snorted.</p><p>"That's not food." she deadpanned, "We ate all the leftover fish from yesterday, we still got some of the rabbit you caught the day before."</p><p>Merle grunted, "Soun' goo' Chinadoll, gimme space an' I'll slice the meat real thin. Put 'em in a san'which."</p><p>Marie shot him a gentle smile, <em>"That</em> sounds like a plan."</p><p>She grabbed Ailani from his arms and led the Māhoe girls to the bedroom where she started in one of the child-friendly movies she had saved on a flash drive for them to watch. With the girls settled she went back to the pull out couch where Iolani had started whining. Merle had already gotten the rabbit meat out of the fridge and begun to slice it with one of Marie's sharpest knives on the cutting-board that covered her tiny stove. It only took a small whiff around the infant to figure out that the youngest Māhoe child was in desperate need of a diaper change. Merle only laughed at Marie when she got peed on before she was able to strap the clean diaper onto Iolani.</p><p>"Ha, ha, ha." Marie deadpanned as she rubbed the pee away with the bottom of her shirt, "Laugh it up."</p><p>"Daryl did tha' when 'e was a baby too!" Merle chortled as a fond expression crossed over his eyes, "Lil' bas'ard peed all o'er our daddy's face once! 'e was real pissed 'out it too, made ma fuckin' day."</p><p>She could feel a disgusted expression paint across her face, "That's nasty. Was his mouth open? I think I would cry if Ion here peed in my mouth, ugh," Marie shuddered, "Just thinking about it makes me wanna barf."</p><p>That only made Merle laugh louder, "Jus' a lil' pee. Ain't e'er hurt naw one."</p><p>Iolani gurgled loudly as Marie cradled him in her arms, she shot Merle a mock glare, "Well, we'll see if that's how you feel when Ion pees on <em>you."</em></p><p>"See, tha's were yer wron'... 'cause I ain't e'er gonna be close enough fer him ta pee on me." Merle countered as he finished before rinsing the blood off his hands, "Bread's in th' trailer, righ'?"</p><p>"Yup." Marie nodded handing him the keys as he grunted and opened up the door of the van to retrieve the bread.</p><p>The squall had stopped while she'd been settling the girls inside the bedroom. Now the campsite was damp and the earth wet. Marie had always liked the smell of rain, it only brought out happy memories from the recesses of her mind. The rain had lowered the temperature a bit, so it wasn't scorching outside anymore, which was a nice change of pace. She quickly rewrapped Iolani to her chest and inspected the fire. Thankfully the squall hadn't hit their pit too bad, Marie threw in any dry wood that they kept under the van so that flames would climb a little higher.</p><p>"Got th' bread." Merle grunted as he placed the packaged french styled bread and a big skillet on Marie's usual chair, "I'll git th' meat so's it can start cookin'."</p><p>Marie nodded, carefully she moved the portable grill into the flames with tongs before grabbing the pan. Merle plopped the slices of rabbit into the pan and flipped the pieces leisurely while Marie got the condiments out that she knew the older Dixon liked and started prepping the bread. The Māhoe girls would get a small sandwich with a bit of butter and the meat, while she and Merle would have mayo and mustard on their bread alongside the rabbit. Marie and Merle ignored the resentful looks from the other campers as they got dinner ready. Louis and Eliza were arguing close by over... a stick, before their mother came and broke it up.</p><p>Suddenly Marie could <em>hear</em> it.</p><p>A faint wailing alarm wafting up from the road.</p><p>"Hell is tha'?" Merle grumbled as he pulled the skillet off the fire and balanced it on the log. Marie shrugged nervously.</p><p>"Let's get the food inside real quick." she mumbled, carefully balancing the two plates she'd prepped with the bread inside. Merle passed her the rest of the untouched bread and the skillet of hot delicious smelling meat to place on the small countertop as the noise echoed around the hills even louder. The Māhoe girls had stopped watching the movie now and were getting off the bed to investigate the noise. Iolani whined against her chest as she hopped out of the van, the alarm was even louder now. Marie helped Ailani out of the van, holding the toddler's hand as Leilani ran behind Merle.</p><p>"Wha' th' hell is tha'?" Merle shouted as they got closer to the group. Marie bounced on her heels a little to soothe Iolani who wiggled around in displeasure.</p><p>"Stolen car." Shane grunted as a fancy red car pulled into the camp.</p><p>The noise was so loud now that no rocking or bouncing would stop Iolani from crying out now. Marie covered his little ears before leading Ailani away from the commotion and closer to the safety of the van. Merle had picked up the distressed toddler with one arm and grabbed Leilani's hand with the other as they watched the new drama unfolding. Marie let out a relieved, hysterical sounding, laugh when Glenn hopped out of the car. <em>Thank god.</em></p><p>"Marie, gimme th' lil' one." Merle grunted as he suddenly appeared at her side, "I'll take 'im. Come on, you git yer brother's ass o'er here."</p><p>A sniffle escaped from Marie as she handed the older man the fussy infant, "Wh-Where are the girls?" she asked, suddenly realizing that her older charges weren't by her side.</p><p>"Already inside. Go on." he grunted, cradling Iolani in his arms as he got into the van.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 1957<br/>~-~-~-~-~-~<br/>-~-~-~-~-<br/>Marie: *gets peed on*<br/>Merle: *nostalgic as images of a tiny baby version of Daryl pissing all over their daddy dances around his mind*<br/>Merle: *cackles*<br/>Marie: *whispers* Bastard.<br/>Marie: Just you wait until I aim him at your face.<br/>Merle: *bat-like ears pick up the mumbling* Ain't e'er gonna happen.<br/>-~-~-~-~-<br/>~-~-~-~-~-~<br/>-~-~-~-~-<br/>So... I realized that I haven't added any pictures in a while, so I decided to edit this chapter and add some more pictures!</p><p><br/>(Marie)</p><p><br/>(Leilani... btw, I know it's a different kid than from the first image, it's just that I chose two kids for my mental picture of her and this is the other one...)</p><p><br/>(Ailani... look at that smile!)</p><p><br/>(Iolani)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Atlanta Incident (pt4)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>With the kids all safe Marie ran, pushing through the crowd as the alarm was finally turned off and wrapping her arms around Glenn. Her brother was still for a moment before he returned the gesture with equal fervor. "</span>
  <em>
    <span>Babo ya</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You scared the shit out of me." Marie chastised as she pulled away to look at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glenn sent her a sheepish smile, not able to respond before he was once more being accosted by the group- well Shane, "Are you crazy drivin' this wailing bastard up here? Are you trying to draw every walker for miles?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I think we're okay." Dale piped up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You call being stupid okay?" Shane grumbled, not moving away from his position in front of the car's engine. Marie glared at the former officer when her brother shifted nervously on his feet with a guilty expression on his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dale rubbed his forehead, "Well, the alarm was echoing all over these hills. Hard to pinpoint the source." he explained as Shane gave the older man a frustrated glare, "I'm not arguing. I'm just saying." before Dale turned to her brother and waved his finger reprimanding, "It wouldn't hurt you to think things through a little more carefully next time, wouldn't it?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Sorry." Glenn offered awkwardly, shooting Marie a small grin when she squeezed his hand reassuringly, "Got a cool car."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marie rolled her eyes at that, her brother was such a weirdo sometimes, "Let's get back to the van. I left Merle alone with three distressed kids." she informed him in a whisper as a large truck pulled up into the campsite. It looked like the car they'd taken down into the city hadn't made the return trip.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her brother snorted softly, "In a sec, all the stuff I got for them is in the truck." Glenn tucked Marie into a half-hug under his arm as Andrea and Amy reunited, followed quickly by the reunion of the Morales family.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She sent an exhausted-looking T-Dog a smile before Shane decided to pipe up again, "How'd ya'll get outta there anyway?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"New guy- he got us out." Glenn offered since everyone else seemed too busy to answer at the moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"New guy?" Shane looked incredulous at that as his eyes bounced between Marie and Glenn almost accusingly... as if they were children who seemed to constantly bring home strays for the adults to deal with.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This time Morales thankfully spoke up, "Yeah, crazy </span>
  <em>
    <span>vato</span>
  </em>
  <span> just got into town." Morales turned to the truck, where the driver still hadn't gotten out, "Hey, helicopter boy! Come say hello." Marie watched the newcomer curiously. He was wearing a full sheriff's uniform as he slowly approached the group, "The guy's a cop just like you."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Shane didn't immediately start complaining about them bringing in a new guy she turned around to catch his expression falling into shock just before Carl started shouting, "Dad! Dad!" in joy and disbelief. The man and boy collided in the middle, both of them in tears before the sheriff stood up, Carl still in his arms as he embraced Lori. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Holy shit.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Shane </span>
  <em>
    <span>haengboghaji anh-eulgeoya...</span>
  </em>
  <span>" she mumbled to Glenn in Korean as she saw the former deputy's expression fall into bittersweet sadness.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What? Why?" Glenn asked obliviously as he stared down at her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marie barely refrained from rolling her eyes, "</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oppa,</span>
  </em>
  <span> you need to be more observant. Come on, let's grab our stuff and head back to our campsite. I wasn't kidding when I said I left Merle alone. Ion was having a crying fit because of the car alarm." she stated bluntly as she dragged Glenn towards the van.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Marie, y-you can't just say something like that and not tell me what's-what." he complained, "Why do I need to be more observant?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This time Marie did roll her eyes, "</span>
  <em>
    <span>Babo.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Shane </span>
  <em>
    <span>wa</span>
  </em>
  <span> Lori </span>
  <em>
    <span>eun gwangyeeiss-eossseubnida. Geudeul-eun balam-eul piugoiss-eossseubnida.</span>
  </em>
  <span>" she explained slowly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glenn's eyes widened. If what Marie had been suspecting was true... then there soon would be a lot of trouble in paradise between the new guy, Lori, and Shane. A bunch of love-triangle </span>
  <em>
    <span>drama</span>
  </em>
  <span> that Marie felt exhausted about just thinking of it... Oh shit, poor Carl. The preteen was going to suffer the most because of his mother’s indiscretions… the kid was not an idiot, he’d already picked up the tension between his mom and Shane over the last few days. New guy was probably going to lose his temper when he finds out the truth as well. Marie definitely would have, considering that it hadn’t been too long since the outbreak had started...</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh, shit." Glenn hissed under his breath as he tossed her one of the duffle bags he'd filled before throwing the strap of the other one over his head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Exactly." she nodded, "Let's go before Merle kills us for leaving him alone too long."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her brother practically sprinted to the van. Marie only snorted in amusement when Merle smacked the back of Glenn's head reprimandingly, "Next time ya wanna go on a supply run, one a us is goin' wit' you! Can' be trusted wi' these useless fuc- assholes."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"How is asshole better than the f-word?" Marie asked in bemusement as Iolani was transferred into her arms, before shooting a wink at Leilani who simply giggled in response. She cooed at the disgruntled infant, rocking him in her arms for a moment before carefully slipping him back inside wrap.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Merle grunted, "Jus' is. 'Sides, they's gonna be 'earing lots a bad words soon enough anyway. Ain't always gonna 'member to censor ma words."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"That's true..." Glenn chuckled as he gave an enthusiastic Ailani a hug, "At this rate all three of them are gonna be cussing like pros... Hmmm, what smells so good?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Dinner." Merle stated bluntly as he armed his bread with meat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"We're eating san'wiches?" Leilani asked curiously.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The older Dixon grunted, "Tha's right."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glenn quickly prepped his own bread as Marie got the girls situated outside by their fire. Merle promised to watch them as she went back in to get Iolani's bottle ready. Her brother was nice enough to bring Marie's sandwich out with his since she was already busy bottle-feeding the youngest Māhoe sibling.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now spill.” Marie demanded as they all got comfortable, “What the heck happened in Atlanta?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her brother swallowed down his mouthful before letting out a tired sigh, “Rick caused quite a stir when he arrived in Atlanta. He was like Clint Eastwood, going down the street on horseback. It brought the attention of an entire horde of biters.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hell was tha’ idjit doin’ in the firs’ place?” Merle grunted as he shot a glare at the other group.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He was looking for the refugee center… guess he hadn’t heard about the bombings.” Glenn mused before ruffling his hair, “Anyway, I, uh, helped him out of a tough spot and reunited with the others in the department store, but Rick’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>entrance</span>
  </em>
  <span> brought the attention of a huge group of walkers that weren’t occupied with the </span>
  <em>
    <span>feeding frenzy</span>
  </em>
  <span> where Rick’s horse went down.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marie couldn’t help the grimace that her face crumbled into at the thought as concern warred within her. Glenn had almost been trapped in the city. He could have died. Her brother. It was beyond unacceptable. Never again. She gnawed on her bottom lip, “How’d you get out then?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Disgust bled onto Glenn’s face, “It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> nasty.” he shuddered, “Ingenious, but disgusting.”</span>
</p>
<p>It looked like the newcomer wasn't completely useless after all… using the guts of the biters to camouflage their scent <em>was</em> a genius idea. Not something that Marie had even thought of before… and the best part was that it had <em>worked</em>. This was not something that she would forget anytime soon. After all, what if they could find a way to use the bodies of walkers to create some sort of perimeter to ward off the dead? It was definitely something to think about for the future.</p>
<p>Still... Glenn would <em>not </em>be allowed to go on <em>any</em> runs for a long long time. Especially not without her, or at least one of the Dixon brothers.</p>
<p>The sun had long set by the time Marie finished eating, Iolani fast asleep with his ear against her chest -Marie had heard somewhere, probably her cousin, that babies were often comforted by the sound of a heartbeat, and it had proven to be true. Shane's group had all converged around their firepits as the temperature dropped. Ailani was dozing off on Glenn's lap while Leilani carefully pushed embers -<em>Merle's eagle eyes locked onto her form to make sure that she didn't accidentally burn herself</em>- around with a stick.</p>
<p>Merle snorted derisively after a moment, breaking the peaceful silence that had fallen around their little group, "They tellin' stories in th' other pit. Wha's so special 'bout tha' sheriff?"</p>
<p>Her brother hummed softly, "He <em>did</em> figure out how to get us <em>out</em> of the department store."</p>
<p>The Dixon shook his head, "Only after he 'caused th' mess firs'... Jus' what we needed 'round 'ere another pig."</p>
<p>Leilani perked up, "Where? I don't see any pigs Merle."</p>
<p>"It's not a real pig, Lilo, 's jus' wha' I call Shane an' 'is ilk. Coppers like 'em are pigs."</p>
<p>Marie only sighed softly, "Maybe new guy, <em>Rick</em>," she amended after Glenn shot her a look, "Won't be as bad as Shane."</p>
<p>"Doubt it." Merle snorted, "All pigs th' same. Take one look at ya an' think they's know everythin'."</p>
<p>"This one's different Merle." Glenn insisted softly as the sky grumbled over their heads, "He was the only one who was willing to listen to me after things went to shit in the department store. Everyone else was jumping down each other's throats panicking. Rick kept a level head and listened to my plan, made everyone else calm down."</p>
<p>"So he's not entirely useless, but if 'e is Lori's old man... well, then deputy Shane's an' Lori's transgressions ain't gonna stay in th' dark too long. Them two been doin' th' dirty since they got 'ere, an' tha' pig's only gotten more possessive since." Merle stated factually, "Whole thin' ain't gonna end well."</p>
<p>She nodded, "That's true... this might sound nuts, but maybe we should- I don't know, plan to split." when both of the men turned their attention to her completely Marie explained, "I mean, I know that's more difficult now that we have, um, <em>kids,</em> but with all the drama and tension..."</p>
<p>"Not a crazy though'." Merle admitted, "We'd be livin' like kings if they weren' weighin' us down."</p>
<p>Glenn hummed nervously, "I don't know... can we- just give it a couple days, I mean at least until Daryl gets back."</p>
<p>Marie nodded, "Ok. But, Glenn, these people- they don't appreciate <em>anything</em> we do around here..." she sighed, "I mean, Shane gave us that b.s. apology this morning, but they never even say <em>thanks</em> to Daryl, or Merle, when they hunt. These guys haven't been pulling their weight around the quarry, but they always feel the need to make sly comments when we walk by. And that's not even counting what Shane did today."</p>
<p>"Ok, I know- <em>wait</em>. What happened with Shane?" Glenn asked.</p>
<p>"Tha' fucker, don' you say tha' word Lilo, put 'is <em>hands</em> on Chinadoll." Merle growled out in remembrance, "She' jus' fin' out tha' ya'll was trapped in th' departmen' store an' Marie say she was goin' ta go git you. Didn' take too kindly to 'er response."</p>
<p>Glenn's eyes were roving on her form with worry and building anger, "He <em>touched</em> you?"</p>
<p>"Just, grabbed my arm really tight, twice, made poor Ion break out into tears." Marie admitted, "I'm fine."</p>
<p>"If I see a bruise there tomorrow I'll fuc-freaking punch him," Glenn muttered angrily as thunder once more grumbled in the distance.</p>
<p>She huffed, "I bruise easily <em>Oppa</em>, I'm fine."</p>
<p>"I'll help." Merle added gleefully.</p>
<p>Marie rolled her eyes, because a fistfight was all they needed.</p>
<p>"<em>I'm</em> going to bed." Marie stated, "Come on Leilani, it's been a pretty long day, huh?"</p>
<p>"Yeah." the six-year-old agreed as Glenn stood up too, "When's Daryl gonna be back? It's already night-time"</p>
<p>"In the mornin'." Merle grunted as he collected all their plates and dumped them in the washing tub, "Night. We gotta a lotta packin' ta do when the sun rises." he offered before crawling into his tent.</p>
<p>It only took a few minutes before soft snores filled the van as all the Māhoe children slept soundly. Her brother had elected to take a quick shower before bed. Marie conked out the second her head hit the pillow... of course, Iolani woke them, the Rhee siblings at least, an hour and a half later. He was lucky he was so damn cute.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 2223<br/>~-~-~-~-~-~<br/>-~-~-~-~-<br/>(So this chapter was a lot longer than expected... LOL.)<br/>-~-~-~-~-<br/>~-~-~-~-~-~<br/>-~-~-~-~-<br/>Glenn: *shuffles nervously on his feet*<br/>Marie &amp; Merle: *staring him down*<br/>Glenn: I'm so-<br/>Marie: No.<br/>Glenn: I am. I'm so-<br/>Merle: Ne'er again. Ya hear me, Chinaman?<br/>Glenn: *looks at his feet to avoid the glares*<br/>Glenn: But...<br/>Merle: *growls*<br/>Marie: N. O. <br/>Marie: That spells 'no.' No.<br/>Leilani: *giggles* Glenn's in trouble!<br/>Glenn: *wilts*<br/>Merle: Yes 'e is. In fact... Glenn stan' in th' time out corner.<br/>Marie: *nods and points*<br/>Glenn: *grumbles under his breath but does what he's told after Merle AND Marie growl at him like animals*</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. Tell it to the Frogs</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Marie was starting to feel anxious about Daryl's prolonged absence. The youngest Dixon brother still hadn't wandered into camp, and it'd already been an hour since sunrise. Merle had only waved off her concerns as he lounged in Marie's usual chair with a sleepy Ailani on his lap. Last night had <em> not </em> been a good one for the Māhoe sisters. Leilani had woken up around three in the morning from a nightmare, her cries had woken up Ailani who had teared up almost immediately - <em> not only from exhaustion and having her sleep interrupted, but </em>- from seeing her big sister break down. Marie was only somewhat grateful that she had already been awake since she'd been changing Iolani's diaper when all of the chaos ensued.</p><p>Poor Glenn had been woken up to Ailani kneeing him in... a <em> sensitive </em> area when she crawled over to him for comfort. It'd taken both of the Rhee siblings three hours to put everyone back to sleep. Still, Marie had only shut her eyes for an hour when Iolani woke up once more for a change and a cuddle... his cries however had woken up <em> everyone </em> in the campervan. It was nearly impossible for anyone to go back to bed after that. Marie called it 'quits' after she noticed the sun rising on the horizon and decided to just start her day early.</p><p>She boiled most of the water they'd collected the day before, refilled the water tank of the campervan. Cleaned all the dishes from yesterday and got a head start on the laundry. Merle had given Marie two more shirts with tears yesterday that she'd begun to mend when the girls crabbily dragged themselves out of the van. Glenn had been on their heels with a fussy Iolani and a fresh bottle.</p><p>"I know he's hungry." Glenn grumbled softly, "He just won't -<em> YAWN- </em> take it from me."</p><p>Marie put down her supplies into a laundry basket before gesturing for Glenn to place the infant in her arms, "Hey <em> namja agi, </em>" she cooed at the little boy before teasing the nipple on his lips, "are you hungry?" Iolani grunted as his lips smacked before he latched onto the bottle and began drinking.</p><p>Glenn groaned, "How did you <em>do</em> that? I've been trying for the last five minutes..."</p><p>"He's just a ladies man, aren't you <em> jag-eun salam? </em>" she cooed at the infant, Iolani was heavily blinking his eyes up at her.</p><p>"What does tha' mean, Marie?" Leilani asked curiously as she leaned against the chair and peers down at her little brother.</p><p>"It's 'little man' in Korean." Glenn explained as he added another log to the fire which made embers spark and Ailani squeal happily at the sight.</p><p>"Oh." the little girl hummed before looking at Glenn even more intently, "What's Korean?"</p><p>A small snort escaped from Marie's lips, "Korean is a language. Me and Glenn, our family is from Korea so we can speak Korean and English."</p><p>Leilani nodded in understanding, "Oh, just like Rhea! Her mama's from Mexico, so she could talk Spanish!"</p><p>"Exactly." she hummed before turning towards Merle's tent as the man groaned softly and exited.</p><p>"Man, ya'll is up early," he complained softly as he stretched his back.</p><p>"Good morning Merle!" Leilani chirruped before wrapping her little arms around his leg. Merle blinked slowly as Ailani stood up and rushed over to give him a hug as well.</p><p>"Righ'..." he mumbled, patting the girls' heads before shooting the Rhee siblings a questioning look.</p><p>"It was a <em> really </em> long night." Glenn offered as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, "We got, like what? Two hours of consecutive sleep?"</p><p>"Was it really that much?" Marie asked wistfully, "It felt like less."</p><p>"Damn, a though' Ion only woke up fo'r a five times a nigh'?"</p><p>Leilani buried her face into the pants covering Merle's legs as Glenn responded softly, "Someone had a bad nightmare last night." he gestured softly at the embarrassed little girl, "It took a while to calm everyone down."</p><p>Merle grunted as he rubbed the top of Leilani's head a little roughly, "Ain't nothin' ta be ashamed of. Everyone gits nigh'mares." Leilani shot the man a shaky smile before declaring that she was getting her coloring book from inside. Ailani had finally won out and Merle lifted her up in his arms, the toddler gleefully tucked her head under his chin and began sucking her thumb. Marie shot the man a grateful smile that only made Merle look away uncomfortably as he rolled his eyes, "Ain't say nothin' surprising." he grumbled under his breath.</p><p>"<em> Oppa, </em>could you start breakfast please?" she murmured as she removed the empty bottle from Iolani's lips and began burping him.</p><p>"Cereal with powdered milk?" he offered hesitantly, "I think we have some fruit loops that the girls will like."</p><p>"Don' waste any on me, don' like it anyways. Chinadoll youse got any granola bars lef'?" Merle asked.</p><p>"Yup."</p><p>Breakfast was a quick affair, especially after Marie put Iolani down inside for his early morning nap. The Māhoe girls had perked up somewhat with their sugary meal, but Ailani was still suffering from the bad night as she cuddled against Merle in Marie's usual seat. Marie decided to finish mending the shirts she'd started earlier, while Glenn sat with Leilani as they slowly read together the first Harry Potter book. It was nice, peaceful even. It would be even better when Daryl got back.</p><p>It was laundry day in the other camp which meant the women were already up and about collecting clothes to wash. One load had already been done so they were all hanging up the wet articles on the various clotheslines they had hanging. The older children were running around and playing merrily through the camp, both Carl and Sophia had stopped by already to wish them a '<em>Good morning!</em>' even to Merle who simply rose an eyebrow and grunted in response... Something that only made sweet, shy Sophia giggle at in mirth. Marie suspected that it had to do with the drooling toddler resting on Merle's chest. Leilani had gone back to coloring in her workbook when Glenn realized that they were stripping away the fancy car he'd arrived in. Marie had only rolled her eyes at his distressed expression and told him to mope <em>away</em> from where she was.</p><p>"Worse than a woman, Chinaman..." Merle had teased when Glenn huffed and decided to stand in front of the shiny muscle car. Marie only giggled in amusement before starting to go through the duffle bag of goods her brother had collected yesterday now that her sewing was done. She was more than pleased with what her brother had collected. Marie began to carefully fold the bigger winter clothes that would join the Rhee's winter gear into the trailer. She left one of the duffle bags with the baby clothes for Iolani and Ailani relatively alone that would join the other bags under the bed for immediate use.</p><p>A terrified high-pitched scream broke out.</p><p>"Mom!" Carl's voice shouted, "Dad!"</p><p>"Mamma! <em>Mommy!"</em> that was Sophia.</p><p>Marie shot up onto her feet, adrenaline already pumping through her veins, Merle quickly transferred a now awake and grumpy Ailani into her arms before he shot off into the woods where the scream had come from. Lori was already shouting her son's name as the rest of the camp immobilized themselves and ran at Merle's heels. Leilani whimpered fearfully, her coloring book abandoned as she clutched to Marie's leg. "Come on," she nudged Leilani, "Let's go inside for a little bit."</p><p>"What about Merle?" Leilani asked, though the six-year-old quickly grabbed her coloring book and crayons before sprinting towards the van.</p><p>"Don't worry about Merle, he's like superman. He's <em>really</em> strong." Marie reassured her nervously as she shut the van door closed after eyeing the woods nervously. More than half of the camp had run towards the commotion, including her brother. Whatever it was, they had it covered for now. Marie plopped Ailani down onto the pull out couch before remembering that she'd left the duffle bag out by her chair. "I'll be right back, I'm just gonna grab the bag-"</p><p><em>"No!"</em> Leilani protested, "You- You gotta stay <em>here!</em> It's not safe!"</p><p>Marie pulled the panicking child into a hug, "Hey, hey. It's okay. I won't go." Ailani was quick to join in the hug, never one to be left out. Marie was only relieved when Merle knocked on the van door a few moments later before he opened it up.</p><p>"Merle!" Leilani cheered as she threw her arms around him.</p><p>"Wha's wron' wit' chu gurl?" Merle huffed as he patted the child's back awkwardly, "Ain't nothin' ta worry 'bout righ' now. Kids gotta lil' scare."</p><p>"What was it?" Marie blurted out.</p><p>"A geek got inta camp. Damn thin' ate Daryl's deer."</p><p>Marie perked up as she hopped out of the van, "Daryl's back?"</p><p>"Wha' 'bout me?" said Dixon questioned with a grumpy expression on his face as he dumped more than a dozen squirrels onto his skinning tarp. A wide smile broke out on her face before she gave the man a quick hug before pulling away.</p><p>"What took you so long?" she teased, "I was starting to get worried."</p><p>Daryl's cheeks were flushed as he was bombarded with hugs from the Māhoe girls, "Wha'- I say I'd be back by morning. It's <em>mornin'</em> ain't it?"</p><p>"Still," Marie huffed with a hand on her hip, "You were gone longer than I expected..."</p><p>"Yeah!" Leilani added.</p><p>The younger Dixon grunted as he plopped down on his tiny stool, "Ya'll a crazy."</p><p>"Not crazy." Glenn corrected, "Just- reasonably concerned."</p><p>"Hah!" Merle snorted, "You worry jus' as much as-"</p><p>"Glenn!" the new guy called out as he jogged over to their camp, "Can I have a moment of your time?"</p><p>They all eyed the man somewhat warily before Daryl blurted, "Who are <em>you?"</em></p><p>"Rick Grimes." the sheriff introduced as he eyed their odd little group. Leilani had hidden behind Merle as the man jogged up while the toddler had barreled into Marie's legs before begging to be picked up. "Sorry to bother you all, I just need to have a quick word with Glenn-"</p><p>"What for?" Marie interrupted, her eyes narrowed in silts as Glenn shot her a nervous look. These people only ever wanted <em>one</em> thing from her group.</p><p>The sheriff eyed her back consideringly, "I'm trying to organize a small trip back to the city-"</p><p>"Fuck off." Merle growled out angrily, "Chinaman almos' died yesterday 'cause of <em>yer</em> ass."</p><p>"The hell happen' while a was gone?" Daryl murmured in confusion as Shane began to approach their group behind Rick.</p><p>Rick sighed, "Yesterday, I dropped a considerably large bag with guns when I got overwhelmed. And Glenn," he turned to eye her brother as he shuffled nervously on his feet, "You <em>know</em> the way. You've been there before- in and out, no problem. You said so yourself. It's not fair of me to ask, I know that, but I'd feel a lot better with you along."</p><p>"You're right." Marie stated before her brother could respond, "That <em>is</em> a lot to ask."</p><p>"Marie-" Glenn whispered reassuringly as he put his arm around her back.</p><p>"No, Glenn." she interrupted, "Yesterday was a <em>disaster.</em> For <em> many </em> reasons. But at <em> least </em> you had somewhat of a good night's rest." Marie added sarcastically, " <em> Geon bil-eo meog-eul il-i aniya. </em>"</p><p>Shane huffed derisively, "I hate to say this, Rick, but she has a point."</p><p>"Here we fuckin' go again." Merle snorted angrily under his breath as Shane started to rant.</p><p>"You'd be putting every single one of us at risk if you left. Come on, you saw that walker. It was <em> here </em> . It was in camp. They're moving out of the cities. They come back, we need every able body we've got. We need 'em here. We need 'em to <em> protect </em> this camp." More and more people from Shane's group got closer to the Rhee-Dixon camp.</p><p>"It seems to me, what you really need most here are more guns." Rick stated calmly.</p><p>"He's right Marie." Glenn mumbled into her ear as Shane asked about the guns.</p><p>"Six shotguns, two high-powered rifles, over a dozen handguns. I cleaned out the cage back at the station before I left. I dropped the bag in Atlanta when I got swarmed. It's just sitting there on the street, waiting to be picked up." Rick explained. Both of the Dixon brothers looked a lot more interested now while Glenn nodded.</p><p>"Ammo?" Shane asked.</p><p>"Seven-hundred rounds, assorted."</p><p>Marie didn't know much about guns... but <em>that</em> was a lot of ammo.</p><p>To say that Marie was happy with the result of that argument was a blatant <em>lie.</em> In the end, her brother -<em>her exhausted brother-</em> decided that he would play tour guide in the city of the undead for Rick. To top it all off the Dixon brothers decided that they wouldn't allow Glenn to go off on his own, especially after Daryl found out about what exactly happened during his last trip to Atlanta with a group. Which she grudgingly approved of, because there was <em>no way in hell</em> that Glenn would have been able to leave from her side if he'd tried to go on his own. Marie was also pissed that the only two individuals who could even <em>begin</em> to sympathize with her situation were Shane -<em>who she hated and honestly wasn't sure if the man would shed too many tears if Grimes actually didn't make it back-</em> and Lori... who in the woman's defense had thought her husband dead but <em>had</em> cheated on the man she'd been married to with his best friend.</p><p>This whole situation was making her skin fucking <em>crawl.</em></p><p>She wasn't stupid. Marie knew that having more guns in the camp would eventually come in handy since the world was now mostly populated by geeks and <em>not</em> people, hell they would probably need the guns to defend themselves from other <em>people</em> that want what they have... but this was <em> her </em> family putting <em> their </em> lives on the line. Yes, the guns would come in handy. Especially since they'd been promised their first pick of the bag's content, even if it <em>had</em> made Shane throw a hissy fit. Something that they would <em>need</em> to protect themselves when it comes time to separate from the others at the quarry. Because even now, Marie couldn't help the niggling feeling that their time at the campsite was <em>over... </em>there had been a <em>walker</em> in the campground. One of the diseased and ever-hungry bastards had been a few yards away from where Leilani and Ailani were lounging.</p><p>It had been <em>too</em> close.</p><p>So, yes. Marie <em>understood</em> why Glenn had been insistent on getting the guns. Despite his close brush with the death the day before and exhaustion from their relatively sleepless night. Why Daryl and Merle eventually gave in. It was <em>smart</em> to collect the weapons. They were just <em>laying</em> there in the street, out there for anyone with the brains to grab, and the geeks -<em>despite the feeding frenzy from the day before-</em> were migratory and had probably followed the wailing sounds of the red sport's car away from the area where the gun bag lay. So, in theory, this would be a very simple run. </p><p>Still.</p><p>Marie was <em> not </em>happy about it.</p><p>It did not <em>feel</em> right.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 2659<br/>~-~-~-~-~-~<br/>-~-~-~-~-<br/>(So... this was like a *double* chapter... but a lot of things were happening... so, yeah. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the update!)<br/>~-~-~-~-~-~<br/>-~-~-~-~-<br/>Marie: Are you f-ing kidding me? Atlanta? Again?<br/>Glenn: I-<br/>Marie: You gotta a death wish I don't know about? Because if you really want to die, I'll be more than happy to put you out of your misery!<br/>Glenn: Marie-<br/>Marie: What is wrong with you? Really? I'm actually asking here. I really want to know. Becasue I just don't understand how someone so smart can be so freaking stupid-<br/>Merle &amp; Daryl: *watching silently from the sidelines*<br/>Daryl: You thin' we shoul' say somethin'?<br/>Merle: Hell no. Chinaman's on 'is own fer this one.<br/>Daryl: *nods*<br/>Daryl: We goin' wit' him?<br/>Merle: Hell yeah. Officer Friendly git him killed otherwise.<br/>Daryl: *grunts*<br/>Daryl: Thought so.<br/>Merle: I ain't tellin' Chinadoll. A dealt wit' enough of 'er panicked tears yesterday. So's it looks like yer up baby brother.<br/>Merle: Hey, Marie! Darylina here, got's somethin' ta tell you.<br/>Daryl: *glares, because his brother is an ashole*<br/>-~-~-~-~-<br/>~-~-~-~-~-~<br/>-~-~-~-~-<br/>Glenn: I feel the need to warn you Rick.<br/>Rick: ?<br/>Glenn: Your buddy Shane got handsy with my baby sister yesterday.<br/>Merle *glowers*<br/>Merle: Almost ripped the pigs fuckin' hands off right then and there.<br/>Daryl: *grunts* Shoulda done it too.<br/>Rick: What? Shane wouldn-<br/>Glenn: The bruise on my sister's arm is physical proof even without Merle's testimony. If Shane even lays a finger on Marie again... there's going to be one less cop at the quarry.<br/>Rick: ...<br/>Glenn: That is... if Marie doesn't shoot him before I get to him.<br/>Merle: Long as he's dead, 'm happy.<br/>Daryl: *nods* One less ungrateful mouth ta feed.<br/>T-Dog: *awkwardly pretends to take a nap so he doesn't gain anyone's ire*<br/>Rick: *what the hell did Shane do to piss off so many people in the camp, goddamn can't the man ever control his fucking temper? He does not want to have three angry people breathing down his neck*</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Vatos (pt1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>WARNING: Skinning and Gutting of a Squirrel<br/>...<br/>No *real* squirrels were harmed in the making of this chapter.<br/>(Except for the one in that video I watched...)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After all the men in her little group had decided to hightail it out to the city for a bag of guns that the new guy dropped, Marie had promptly decided that she wouldn't be leaving their camp for the rest of the day.</p><p>If a geek had actually managed to get into the camp this morning, it only meant that <em> more </em> were sure to follow. She hadn't seen a <em> lone </em> geek roaming around since the beginning. If anything, all of the runs she'd gone on had taught her that the walking dead tended to follow <em> anything </em> that moved, that included <em> each other </em> which meant that they often accidentally formed groups. Groups that often got larger and <em> larger. </em> No today, Marie was going to be keeping her kids indoors just in case more of the undead fuckers invaded the campground. <em> Especially </em> after the scare Carl and Sophia had.</p><p>Marie had corraled the Māhoe girls inside of the campervan seconds after Glenn and the Dixon brothers had left with Grimes and T-Dog for Atlanta. Ailani had <em> not </em> been very happy with the arrangement, neither had Leilani for that matter, but she was <em> not </em> going to let her girls roam around the camp with all three of her men gone. No, she'd pulled out some toys onto the bed and told Leilani to watch her little sister while she started packing away the Dixon brothers camp gear. She didn't know about the others, but Marie definitely did not feel safe anymore... besides packing up all their things had been their plan for the morning in the first place.</p><p>With the others of her little group out on a mission, it would be up to Marie to get everything they needed to be done at the quarry completed before they got back. Especially if they all decide to leave the second they got back from Atlanta... Glenn had sworn that the trip would be an easy in-and-out thing and that they'd have more than enough time to get on the road. In other words... Marie had work to do.</p><p>Shane is fucking crazy.</p><p>That is <em> all </em> Marie is going to say on the matter.</p><p>Apparently, Ed Peletier, Sophia's father, had smacked Carol openly in front of all the women washing laundry at the lake. Shane -<em> in retaliation that wasn't really undeserved- </em> had thrown the abusive asshole down and beat in his face until it was practically unrecognizable. <em> That </em> was the reason behind Sophia now spending the rest of her day with Marie and the Māhoe siblings at their fire pit. Leilani was thrilled for the company, even if she didn't understand <em> why </em> Sophia was so upset at the moment.</p><p>Sophia seemed happy to help Marie take care of Iolani. A wide smile stretched across her freckled face as she held the cooing infant in her arms. The preteen hadn't looked away from his tiny cherubic face from the second Marie had planted him into the girl's arms; while Marie took the time to clean up the inside of the campervan now that she was mostly done packing up the Dixon's tent and gear in the back of their truck. Leilani was playing with her barbie dolls on the floor close by to where Sophia was sitting on the pull-out couch with the youngest Māhoe child, while Ailani was taking a well-deserved nap in the bedroom. The toddler had conked out an hour or so after Marie had constrained them inside.</p><p>"Hey," Carol's voice interrupted the calm as the woman poked her head into the open window of the van, "Just checkin' up on Sophia."</p><p>"Hi Carol," Marie greeted good-naturedly.</p><p>Sophia perked up at her mother's voice before a shy smile curled the corner of her lips as she looked at the woman without moving from her spot before quietly gushing, "Look, mama! I'm holding the baby!"</p><p>"I can see that." Carol agreed, a soft loving expression on her face as she watched her daughter, "You're doin' a good job, sweetheart." The youngest Peletier beamed up at her mother as if she'd been told that she'd single-handedly solved world hunger.</p><p>Marie giggled softly at the twelve-year-old's expression before shooting Carol an inquisitive look and asking in a soft voice that wouldn't alarm the kids, "I saw a bunch of people heading up to the meadow, Carol, was there another geek?"</p><p>The short-haired woman shook her head, "No, Jim's gotta bit a heat stroke. He was diggin' holes up there."</p><p>"Oh," Marie hummed, she could think of a million other ways to spend her time, "that's weird."</p><p>Carol nodded, "Shane tied Jim up to a tree in the shade after he tried to hit him with the shovel. Jim was talkin' nonsense. Well, I got some more mending to do, I'll come check up on you guys in a little while."</p><p>"Bye mama!" Sophia chirruped.</p><p>Since the kids seemed mostly entertained she decided to start skinning the stack of squirrels Daryl had caught throughout the last day. She made Sophia promise to call her if she got tired of holding Iolani, or if she needed help with the infant, before hopping out of the van and heading for the trailer. That is after dropping one of the cutting boards and the gutting knife onto the tarp. The youngest Dixon had wrapped up the dead squirrels in his gutting towel and left them in the trailer for safekeeping until he got back. The Dixon's had shown the Rhee siblings how to skin the small animals back towards the beginning... Glenn was <em> not </em> good at it. Her big brother always looked somewhat faint when the older men would peel the furred skin off the squirrels. Glenn had actually almost passed out the first time. It wasn't that Marie hadn't felt disturbed either, but the blood simply hadn't bothered her <em> as </em> much as it had her brother.</p><p>After locking up the trailer Marie went inside the van to grab the bowl with salt she'd prepared before carefully setting it down. She popped herself down on Daryl's usual stool and grabbed the gutting knife like he'd taught her to. It was grisly business, skinning and gutting a squirrel. Marie lifted the tail of the first squirrel up before gently pressing the knife right in the center of the anus and slowly cut through the tailbone. Marie stopped after she heard the little crack before making sure that she hadn't punctured the soft pink flesh underneath the furred-skin as she lifted the tail a bit higher and carefully cut away some of the more stubborn areas where it still clung to the pink underneath. This was the part where Marie needed to be <em>careful</em>. If there was any meat clinging to the white underbelly of the fur she would accidentally rip the squirrel in half when she started pulling it. Marie made sure to cut away the sides a little bit before grabbing the squirrel by its legs, twisting the tail a bit before stepping on it with her left foot and pulling the animal towards her.</p><p>As soon as the skin reached up to the animal's shoulders/head, she pulled her finger through to pull out its arms before placing the squirrel back down on the cutting board and cut off the head and the hands so that the skinned fur was no longer attached to the rest of the squirrel. Now she just needed to skin the fur off the squirrel's legs before gutting it. Marie grabbed the catfish-skinners -<em> gripper, clamp thing that Daryl said made peeling the skin easier/faster even if Merle had clowned him for it </em>- and started pulling down the skin on both sides until it reached the feet and chopped it off with the knife. She tossed the fur with the rest of it as she inspected the skinned squirrel for errant hairs. After a moment she couldn't put it off any longer as she pinched the meat at the underbelly and made a small slit with the knife. Marie used her finger to make the opening larger, with the blade of the knife turned up, with the gut-hook at the end of the knife hooked onto the flesh she carefully cut the squirrel open all the way up to the chest. The smell of the guts hit her. Marie's nose wrinkled immediately as she set the knife back down and carefully scooped out the entrails all the way from the membrane of the chest cavity to the rear of the squirrel.</p><p>She made sure that everything had been removed from the inside, before carefully cracking open the pelvic bone of the squirrel with the knife so that she could clean out any poop that might have been traveling down there. Marie inspected the squirrel one last time before smiling triumphantly. She plopped the squirrely into the salt-water bowl. One squirrel down, one-two- eighteen more to go.</p><p>"Marie?" Sophia piped up from the window of the van. Marie couldn't hear any crying.</p><p>"What's up, Sophia?" she asked as she stood up and got closer.</p><p>Sophia ducked her head shyly, "N-Nothing's wrong, I just wanted to tell you that I put Ion down in his bassinet. He fell asleep."</p><p>"Oh, thank you, Sophia." Marie smiled gratefully.</p><p>"Ma'ee" Ailani whined from inside, "Out!"</p><p>Marie poked her head inside to look at the youngest Māhoe girl, "Hey Nani, did you have a nice nap?"</p><p>The toddler nodded her head as she pouted up at her, "Out."</p><p>"Uh, uh, baby girl. We're having an inside day today." Marie turned to Sophia and shot her a wink, "Sophia do you remember how to set up the movies?"</p><p>The twelve-year-old practically trembled with excitement, "Yes! I can set up a movie in the bedroom."</p><p>"Good, I think the girls were watching 'Lilo and Stitch' yesterday..."</p><p>"Ooh!" Leilani piped up, "I wanna see it again!"</p><p>"I'll take care of it, Marie!" Sophia chirruped before promising seriously, "I can handle it! Come on girls."</p><p>A small smile tugged onto the corner of her lips as she watched the girls head into the back. Iolani was softly snoring away in the Moses basket on the floor by the pullout couch. Good. Marie quickly turned back to the pile of squirrels she needed to skin, well... it was time to get back to work. The twenty-four-year-old had skinned three more squirrels when Andrea and Amy made it up the hill from the lake. A bunch of the campers in Shane's group began letting out cheers and clapping in glee as the blonde sisters showed off two full lines of fish they'd caught. She couldn't help but roll her eyes as rounds of congratulations and gratitude buzzed throughout the camp. Honestly, if the blondes had known how to fish this <em>whole</em> time... why was this the <em> first </em> time they'd done so.</p><p>She also couldn't help but feel a flare of bitter anger rise up in her chest, Daryl had been gone for practically two whole days hunting for this group... and he hadn't received a single 'thanks' for his efforts. Sure, it wasn't the deer that the walker, like the others called the geeks, had taken down... but here was Marie skinning the squirrels <em>he'd</em> caught and not a single person had come up to offer her help- <em>You know what, Nope. </em> Marie was not going to fall down that particular rabbit hole.</p><p>Since it looked like the other group was going to have a fish fry, Marie was going to preserve all of the squirrel meat the youngest Dixon had caught. At this point the only people she'd willingly fork over a squirrel to are the Peletier women, since Sophia was babysitting her kids while Carol tended to her husband and the chores in the other camp... <em>well</em>... and the young children <em>if</em> they <em>really</em> wanted some. Jeez, Marie was <em>as</em> bad as Glenn.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 2060<br/>~-~-~-~-~-~<br/>-~-~-~-~-<br/>(Sorry for being AWOL for so long, I started the Spring semester, as I mentioned in the last chapter, and I'm super overwhelmed right now with the sheer amount of papers and reading I have to do... My brain is freaking melting out of my ears... I haven't had more than an hour of free time to read things I *actually* want... I'm going through fanfic withdrawal and its not pretty.)<br/>-~-~-~-~-<br/>~-~-~-~-~-~<br/>-~-~-~-~-<br/>Carol: *walking away from the van*<br/>Carol: Marie's a sweetheart lookin' after my baby like that. Keepin' all them little ones entertained.<br/>Carol: *snorts*<br/>Carol: My baby holdin' a baby. They grow up so fast.<br/>-~-~-~-~-<br/>Marie: *grumbling and glaring at the squirrels*<br/>Marie: Those assholes... going into the fucking city... leaving me with all the damn work... I should shove this squirrel so far up-<br/>Sophia: Ms. Marie! Leilani wants to show you a picture she drew.<br/>Marie: *melts into a puddle of cuteness goo*</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. Vatos (pt2)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The girls had gotten hungry, so Marie made all three of them a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Sweet Sophia had been near tears when she saw the wonderbread, while Leilani was just happy that she was eating the same sandwich Peanut the fish ate in the movie. Marie had to wipe off the majority of the jelly off Ailani’s face when she was done, but all three of them had been left content with the meal so she decided to count it as a win.</p>
<p>Morales had come around afterwards with a couple of logs of wood for her fire. Eliza and Louis had tagged along, mostly because they wanted to say 'hello' since Marie had been too busy with the Māhoe children to take them out foraging again... something that Eliza seemed eager to do. Morales had simply thanked her for entertaining his kids and offered to bring Marie more wood in the evening if her brother and Dixons weren't back by then. She couldn’t help but feel grateful for the assistance. Marie did not want to venture off into the thicket by herself to find wood, not with no one there to watch her kids. </p>
<p>The Morales children were not happy when their father told them that they couldn't stay in Marie's camp for a while longer. Not even if they promised to listen to Marie and stay in the van with Sophia and ‘little kids.’ His wife, Miranda, was not happy that a geek had wandered into camp. She had sequestrated her kids inside their RV since this morning. A notion that Marie had whole-heartedly approved. It had earned her one grateful look and betrayed pouts when Marie told them that they should stick with their parents for the rest of the day ‘just in case.’</p>
<p>Carl had appeared before her when she was more than halfway done skinning all the squirrels and asked if he could watch Marie finish the rest. She had offered to let Carl into the van so that he could watch a movie with the others, but he insisted. The Korean had only eyed the curious -<em> stubborn- </em> boy for a moment before sighing and telling him to sit in her regular spot as she explained to the youngest Grimes what she was doing. "After you peel off the skin from the legs, and cut the feet like this- <em> now </em> I can gut the squirrel," she explained.</p>
<p>The boy nodded before asking, "Isn't it a bit gross? 'Cause of the blood and stuff?"</p>
<p>Marie hummed softly, "I mean, a <em> little </em>... but you get used to it after a while. Besides, you always see blood when you cook meat or chicken."</p>
<p>"That's true." Carl nodded before sighing as they heard his mother calling him over, "Bye Marie."</p>
<p>Marie waved him off just as cries erupted from the open window of the van. She quickly stood up, rubbing her hands free of the squirrel blood with a towel, before opening the van door. Sophia had beat her to the infant as she cooed at the angry baby boy.</p>
<p>"I think he needs a diaper change." Sophia admitted as Marie quickly washed her hands with soap before reaching for the infant in the basket.</p>
<p>"Can you get me the diaper bag, Sophia? Oh, and close the door please, I forgot to shut it."</p>
<p>"Kay!" the girl chirruped as she sprinted to the back after shutting the van door close. Marie bounced him in her arms for a moment before laying him down on the pullout couch. She quickly pulled off his tiny cotton shorts and unbuttoned the bottom of his onesie, yup he definitely needed to be changed. "Gross." Sophia giggled as Marie wiped Iolani's butt before strapping a clean diaper on.</p>
<p>"Yup, <em> gross </em>." Marie agreed as she re-buttoned the onesie and pulled the tiny shorts back on him. Iolani cooed up at her as she pressed kisses onto his soft cheeks before cradling him in her arms, "Do you want to hold him again Sophia?"</p>
<p>"Can I?" she asked excitedly. Marie nodded as she gestured for the preteen to sit down on the couch before gently transferring him into her arms.</p>
<p>"Watch his head, yup, like that- Good job!" Marie smiled down at the duo. She could hear the Disney movie still playing in the bedroom, "I'm gonna make him a bottle, he's probably gonna start crying for one soon."</p>
<p>She quickly measured out the formula into the bottle and shook the content with the warmed water. Marie sat in the other chair after grabbing Iolani from Sophia once more, she only had to tease the nipple across the infant's mouth one time before he quickly latched on and began sucking. Sophia giggled at that as the youngest Māhoe grunted contently between sucks. "You can go finish watching the movie if you want Sophia. I'm probably gonna bring him with me outside to finish skinning the squirrels."</p>
<p>"Okay." the twelve-year-old smiled as she bounced back into the other room where she was greeted happily by Leilani.</p>
<p>As soon as Iolani finished eating, she burped him before slipping into the sling and adjusting him to her chest. She only had four squirrels left waiting to be skinned. Marie shut the door of the van behind her as she once more took position in Daryl's stool and finished gutting the squirrel she'd left on the cutting board. </p>
<p>Iolani cooed up at her, completely wide awake now that he'd had a nap. Marie made faces at him once in a while as she finished up with the squirrels. These last four squirrels would be turned into a stew for tonight since it didn't look like the others were going to be offering any of the fish the blonde sisters had caught. She plopped the now four cleaned squirrels into a pot before carefully grabbing the large bowl where she was marinating the squirrels. Marie had to put it down on the ground for a moment so that she could open the trailer, she picked it back up again and left it on top of the cooler. Since the trailer was air conditioned, she would leave out the meat in the saltwater for twenty-four hours before freezing it.</p>
<p>After locking up the trailer Marie began cleaning up the bloody equipment she’d used. By that point, the movie the kids were watching had finished and the Māhoe girls were antsy to come outside. Marie sighed before giving in, not wanting to deal with a tantrum from the pouty looking toddler. Sophia promised that she wouldn't let them stray from the small camp as the little girls giggled and danced around. Marie only shook her head as she filled up the pot with the squirrels with water and placed the pot onto the grill. She added some salt and spices before covering it with a lid and leaving it to stew. Iolani had dozed off at some point as his sisters, mostly Leilani since Ailani just whacked her doll against the dirt, played with barbies while Sophia made sound effects for them.</p>
<p>When Carol had called over for Sophia to join the main camp -<em> not before thanking her profusely and inviting her to join them, an offer she declined since the stew was almost ready and her paranoia was screaming at her not to stray from her van- </em> Marie decided that it was time the girls went back inside the van. Leilani had only protested for a moment before Marie promised that she'd turn on the air conditioner, Ailani simply followed her now ecstatic big sister inside as they carried their dolls in with them. It had taken some tricky maneuvering to get Iolani out of the wrap and in his basket without waking him up, but Marie had managed it.</p>
<p>The sun was starting to set on the horizon, making Marie feel more than a little worried as the other group began their fish-fry in earnest. They were being too <em> loud </em>. It was making her more than a little bit antsy. Only the presence of her bow was preventing her from truly booking it into the van. She'd take out her recurve bow and left it out by the gutting tarp earlier while she had been working, in case a geek wandered into the camp… but with the sky darkening around her. Well, Marie wasn’t feeling too secure anymore. Not on her own.</p>
<p>The others should have been back ages ago... Though, she wasn't <em> too </em> worried about Glenn now that the Dixons had his back, but still. She just wanted all of her boys back <em> now </em>. The stew was finally just about finished now so she carefully lifted it up from the grill with her oven mitts and brought it inside to rest on the stove of her small kitchen. She only went back out to grab the stool she’d been sitting on before calling it a night, Marie spared a glance at the other group before scoffing when a bout of laughter rang in the air.</p>
<p>No one was even on <em> watch </em> anymore! And it was practically pitch black now as the sun rapidly set. Marie made sure that her bow and arrows were close by before quickly locking up the van. She turned on the car to close the window before turning it back off and started grabbing the bowls for the soup. If she was too busy, she wouldn’t have any time to worry.</p>
<p>Marie decided that it would be easier to feed Ailani by hand first, since the toddler wasn't very good at using utensils and she didn't really have a table inside her van. Ailani hadn't put up a fuss as Marie carefully spooned some of the tender squirrel meat into her mouth. Leilani had been a bit disappointed that they weren't eating fish again but otherwise seemed to enjoy the simple soup Marie had made. Marie had been almost finished eating her own bowl, the girls were once more playing on the bed with their toys while Iolani napped in the Moses basket close by to her, when she <em> heard </em> it. A high-pitched screech filled the air. The Māhoe siblings were still oblivious to it but as the scream reached its peak Marie jumped to her feet. She abandoned her unfinished dinner on the counter before pulling the curtain separating the front seats from the rest of the van.</p>
<p>Geeks were appearing out of the shadows like demonic monsters as they attacked the now screaming and panicking camp. The first scream Marie had heard had come from Amy who was <em> still </em> screaming fearfully as a walker took a chunk out of her arm. This was a horror show. Marie moved back into the living area as the Māhoe children began whining in fear.</p>
<p>"Marie!" Leilani whimpered loudly, "Why's everybody screaming!"</p>
<p>"Come on, girls, I need you to hide under the bed for me." Marie instructed hurriedly as she maneuvered the girls under the bed. "The monsters are attacking the camp, hey- no, shh, shh... it's okay. We'll be safe inside, we just need to be quiet. Can you do that for me?" Leilani bobbed her head tearfully as she pulled the scared toddler into a hug. Iolani was still dozing off inside of the Moses basket by the pullout couch so Marie grabbed the basket and shoved it gently under the bed as well. "Okay, we got to be very <em> quiet </em> girls, I'm gonna be in the front of the van, okay, you girls need to stay here and be quiet. If Ion starts crying, Lilo, I need you to give him his pacifier and keep him quiet."</p>
<p>"Okay." she sniffled, "Be careful Marie."</p>
<p>Marie shot the six-year-old a nervous grin before grabbing her recurve bow and arrows as she maneuvered herself back to the front seats. Screams had filled the previously calm and quiet night as the panicking group ran from the converging geeks. Thankfully none of the dead were anywhere near her camp or van so she turned on the car and lowered her window a bit. </p>
<p>She cocked her arrow on the bow and aimed for the head of a walker heading for Carol and Sophia before letting the arrow fly. Marie concentrated on aiming at all of the dead heading for the children until she finally ran out of arrows as Shane blasted away at all of the walkers in front of him as he tried to clear a path to the RV. She cursed under her breath before shutting her window and turning the car off, there was nothing more that Marie could do.</p>
<p>Tears stung behind her eyes at the massive loss of life happening before her. From what she could see Shane with Lori, Carl, Sophia, Carol Dale, Andrea, and the Morales family had been corralled in front of Dale's RV as more and more of the dead started to surround them. More gunshots rang through the air before Marie finally spotted the group that'd gone into Atlanta arriving at the scene and shooting down the walkers terrorizing the camp.</p>
<p>The phrase "Thank god!" was practically ripped out of her throat as she spotted her brother felling one of the undead assholes with Merle and Daryl at his heels. Marie could hear Leilani and Ailani quietly sobbing in the back out of fear as she harshly rubbed away the tears from her eyes. More living people were coming out of the woodwork and destroyed remnants of the camp before congregating to the RV as the survivors of the evening from hell reunited.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 2266<br/>~-~-~-~-~<br/>-~-~-~-<br/>(Hey, it's been a while... I'm super swamped... and probably should be doing one of three assignments I have due today instead of updating... but I needed a freaking break... Anyway this next scene is something I wanted to add into this chapter as a bonding moment between Marie and Carl, but I had to cut it out... it was too long and didn't really go with the overall flow. Let me know if you guys like it... or if you think I should try to work it in anyway... even if I end up not doing so, we can just consider it as part of my fic's canon and maybe see it in a flashback or something... Let me know! We are in the endgame of this fic... only ten chapters left to go for part one is over!!!)<br/>-~-~-~-<br/>~-~-~-~-~<br/>-~-~-~-<br/>Carl: Marie?<br/>Marie: *without looking away from a squirrel* What's up?<br/>Carl: My mom and Shane are acting weird.<br/>Marie: *chokes on air* Really?<br/>Carl: D-Do you know what's going on?<br/>Marie: *why me? OhgodWHYme? Hecouldhaveaskedanyoneelsesowhypickme?*<br/>Marie: No.<br/>Carl: *eyebrow raised as he stares her down* I'm not stupid Marie, I wasn't born yesterday.<br/>Marie: *sighs* I really don't know Carl, I'm not really friends with your mom... or Shane.<br/>Carl: *kicks the dirt* No one talks to me 'bout stuff. All the adults think we're too little... that we're not smart enough... But I *know* something's going on.<br/>Marie: Well, that's not true. I think you're plenty smart.<br/>Carl: *rolls his eyes* Yeah? You're the only one.<br/>Marie: *nods confidently* Grown-ups are weird.<br/>Carl: *snorts*<br/>Marie: It's true. They're SUPER weird.<br/>Carl: You're a grown-up.<br/>Marie: Ouch. That really hurt... but I guess I am... so I'm the weirdest grown-up of them all. Maybe that could be my superhero name: MW for Marie the Weird.<br/>Carl: *hides a smile before looking at her seriously* What should I do about my mom?<br/>Marie: *winces* I don't know bud. Maybe... talk to your dad about it when he gets back.<br/>Carl: *sighs* I guess. Thanks Marie.<br/>Marie: No problem.<br/>Carl: ...<br/>Carl: Can I cut one of the squirrels open.<br/>Marie: ...<br/>Marie: Maybe next time.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0031"><h2>31. Wildfire (pt1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>So many people had died the night before. So much so that the once strong group of over thirty adults had been decimated to thirteen adults and seven <em> terrified </em> children. No one had slept much last night. Marie had offered to house all of the kids in her van for the evening after everyone reunited, she played mindless Disney movies all throughout the night for the traumatized children. The Māhoe girls had fallen asleep around two in the morning while the Morales children conked out closer to five. Sophia and Carl hadn't fallen asleep at all. Merle had stood guard outside of the van all night and continued to do so now, not trusting anyone else to keep the kids safe. As soon as the first rays of the morning light everyone got to work as they began taking care of the bodies strewn around the camp.</p>
<p>Morales had built up a large bonfire where they could drag the bodies of the walkers for cremation. The smell was pungent. Daryl was swinging a pickax into the heads of every fallen body before motioning for someone to retrieve it. Marie had only been at it for half an hour now since Iolani had just gone back to sleep, helping her brother lift walker corpse after walker corpse into the fire. Everyone worked with a solemn air surrounding them as they began uncovering more familiar and bloodied looking corpses of those that'd been camping at the quarry.</p>
<p>The youngest person that died last night was Amy, her sister Andrea was inconsolable as she stayed vigil over the corpse of her younger sister. The woman hadn't moved from her spot at all, ignoring everyone that had gone up to her. Blood loss may have been the reason why Amy had died last night, but her body was now a carrier of the same disease the walkers that'd killed her had. Any moment, the body that'd once been the chipper teenager would rise up and attack any living being in its path... especially since Andrea had no intention to let any of them get close enough to- well pierce the skull. Marie tried not to look at the bloodied visage of the younger blonde... Though it was more difficult now since Shane and Rick had called over the rest of the remaining group. Minus Merle who only shook his head and stayed at his post stoically, to talk about it since Andrea had pulled her gun on Rick when he tried to talk to her.</p>
<p>"Ya'll can' be serious. Let tha' gurl hamstring us?" Daryl whispered angrily as he gestured at the blondes, "Th' dead gurl's a time bomb."</p>
<p>Rick rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly, "What do you suggest?"</p>
<p>"Take the shot." he answered bluntly, "Clean, in th' brain from 'ere. Hell, I can hit a turkey b'tween th' from this distance." Marie winced. So could she... but this was different, this was... well, this was Amy, even if it <em> wasn't </em> anymore.</p>
<p>"No." Lori shot down with disgust, "For God's sakes, let her be."</p>
<p>Daryl scoffed but he walked away from them determinedly towards the corpses. Marie shot the others an awkward smile as she followed him, Glenn hot on her heels as they grabbed the legs of the corpse Daryl and Morales had started dragging.</p>
<p>"Wait-" Glenn gasped as he realized the men were dragging the body towards the pyre, "What are you guys doing? This is for geeks. Our people go over there."</p>
<p>"What's th' difference? They're all infected." Daryl questioned without stopping. Glenn dropped the leg he'd been holding.</p>
<p>"Our people go in that row over there." he insisted as his voice broke, "We don't burn them. We bury them."</p>
<p>Marie let the leg fall from her hands as she placed a comforting one on his shoulder, "<em> Oppa </em>, hey- it's fine."</p>
<p>"It's not <em> fine </em> Marie! We knew them-"</p>
<p>She shook her head, "Glenn, in Korea we've been cremating people for centuries... We can build another pyre for o-our people, but we shouldn't bury them, <em> Oppa." </em></p>
<p>"Why!" he gasped angrily, though from the tears Marie could see stinging in his eyes she knew that he was just hurting and grieving for all the people that they'd sort-of come to know… or maybe Glenn was projecting. Grieving the people that they’d known, <em> their </em> family and friends in place of the corpses of the campers. </p>
<p>"Their bodies are <em> infected </em> , Glenn, if we bury them, that affects the soil and the plants... anything that grows here might become infected too." Marie explained in a soft voice, "We can't do that either, <em> Oppa, </em> but we can cremate these people in another pyre and say goodbye to the ones we know, <em> al-assda </em>?"</p>
<p>When her brother shakily agreed, Marie motioned for the two men watching their exchange to pile up the body with the others from the camp. It seemed like only a moment had passed before Jacqui began shouting from the other end of the camp. "A walker got him! A walker bit Jim!"</p>
<p>Fuck.</p>
<p>Immediately all of the men in the camp with a gun stopped what they were doing and started cornering said man. "Show it to us." Daryl commanded as he got closer.</p>
<p>"C'mon Jimbo, show us th' bite!" Merle parroted as he abandoned his spot and moved towards Jim from behind. The panic and fear was clear on Jim's face as he grabbed the shovel he'd been using to pierce the skulls of corpses and swung it around threateningly.</p>
<p>"Easy Jim!" Shane shouted as chaos erupted in the camp.</p>
<p>"Grab 'im!"</p>
<p>"Jim, put it down right now!" the ex-deputy commanded angrily as T-Dog ran from behind Jim and restrained him, forcing Jim to drop the shovel.</p>
<p>The man was murmuring, "I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay-" over and over again like a delirious person while Daryl dropped his pickaxe to lift up Jim's shirt... revealing a vicious bite wound in the man's side. </p>
<p>T-Dog and Daryl let go of Jim like they were disgusted and moved back. Jim hadn't stopped his mantra of "I'm okay." As his voice took on an almost child-like pleading tone... like he was trying to convince <em> himself </em> that he wasn't turning into a walker rather than the group. Horror was evident on everyone's faces, and Marie’s stomach churned as Kai’s face overlapped with Jim’s. Jim was a <em> breathing </em> dead man walking.</p>
<p>This time when the sheriff called for a group meeting all the adults circled up. Though Merle had insisted that they do it closer to the van in case any trouble appeared, something that the other parents had agreed on. Daryl surprisingly spoke up first.</p>
<p>"I say we put a pickaxe in 'is head an' th' dead gurl's an' be done wit' it."</p>
<p>"Is that what you'd want if it were you?" Shane snapped.</p>
<p>Daryl nodded, "Yeah, an' I'd thank you while you did it."</p>
<p>"Ma baby brotha's righ'." Merle grunted, "Ain't got no time ta babysit 'em. They's gonna turn inta geeks anyways. We got shit ta get done 'fore nightfall."</p>
<p>"I hate to say it- I never thought I would- but maybe Daryl and Merle are right." Dale added in a defeated tone.</p>
<p>Rick angrily piped up from where he was glaring at the ground, "Jim's not a monster, Dale, or some rabid dog."</p>
<p>"I'm not suggesting-"</p>
<p>"He's <em> sick. </em> A sick man." Rick insisted, "We start down that road, where do we draw the line?"</p>
<p>"Th' line's pretty clear. Zero tolerance fer walkers, or 'em to be." Daryl stated bluntly. Marie chewed on her lip nervously as Merle clapped his brother on the back.</p>
<p>"Well sai' baby brotha."</p>
<p>"What if we can get him help?" Rick offered, "I heard the CDC was working on a cure."</p>
<p>"I heard that too." Shane admitted, "Heard a lot of things before the world went to hell."</p>
<p>"What if the CDC is still up and running?"</p>
<p>"Man, that is a stretch right there." Shane shook his head slowly.</p>
<p>"Why? If there's any government left, any structure at all, they'd protect the CDC at all costs, wouldn't they?" Rick explained, "I think it's our best shot. Shelter, protection-"</p>
<p>"Okay Rick, you want those things, all right?" Shane interrupted, "I do too, okay? Now if they exist, they're at the army base. Fort Benning."</p>
<p>Great. </p>
<p>This was turning into an argument between Rick and Shane. A freaking <em> pissing </em> match between two ‘alpha males’. Marie didn't know about her brother or the Dixons but <em> she </em> still wasn't so sure if they should merge with the other group... even with their numbers so decimated as they were. Though it did look like the boys were leaning towards it more now… instead of hightailing it out of the quarry like they’d been planning to do yesterday. There <em> was </em> safety in numbers after all, and Rick had - <em> shockingly </em>- left a good impression on all three of them during their run back to Atlanta. As it was, it seemed like Shane's camp was slowly starting to break away from his leadership and going under Rick's.</p>
<p>"That's a hundred miles in the opposite direction." Lori piped up.</p>
<p>"That is right. But it's away from the hot zone." Shane agreed, "Now listen to me. If that place is operational, it'll be heavily armed. We'd be safe there." Merle snorted softly under his breath, making Marie look at him questioningly.</p>
<p>"The military were on the front lines of this thing." Rick countered, "They got overrun. We've all <em> seen </em> that. The CDC is our best choice and Jim's only chance."</p>
<p>"Fort Benning's prob'ly lost." Merle grunted making everyone's eyes shoot towards him, "Ain't no way they hol' off 'til this point. An' if they was, whose ta say tha' they'll welcome us wit' open arms. Nuh-uh, don' care much 'bout Jimbo or the CDC, but Fort Benning's not an option."</p>
<p>"What the hell do you know!" Shane snapped angrily.</p>
<p>"You thin' fer jus' one-second tha' those boys didn' hightail it to their mommies o' wives when things got bad, yer delusional. 'Sides people must a flocked ta th' base when shit first hit th' fan, tha' means tha' they is a hot zone too." Merle explained, "Those tha' were rejected entry o' was bitten an' their families prob’ly still hangin’ around."</p>
<p>Before Shane could speak up Glenn mumbled, "That's true."</p>
<p>"What?" someone, T-Dog, blurted out.</p>
<p>"Our sister’s brother-in-law," Glenn divulged, "Oliver defected the <em> second </em> he was on U.S. soil. I mean- you don't know the guy, but Oliver <em> bled </em> red-white-and-blue... He was the one who warned our sister that things weren't going to get better."</p>
<p>Marie nodded, "He told us that L.A. had fallen, the military hadn't been able to control it. That eventually they wouldn't be able to control Atlanta either and that's why we needed to pack up our stuff and leave."</p>
<p>"That doesn't mean that the military has failed <em> everywhere </em>!" Shane countered.</p>
<p>"You're right." Marie hummed as she shifted on her feet, "But it <em> does </em> mean that I'm <em> not </em> willing to drive a hundred miles away on a <em> hunch </em> that the military <em> is </em> still running."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Words 1946<br/>~-~-~-~-~-~<br/>-~-~-~-~-<br/>(So... I've been AWOL again. LOL. I've had a lot of homework... and two sets of midterms... and more papers to write on books that were written in the 18th century... Though if anyone here is ever interested in reading what is essentially ancient twitter-war style poems promise me you'll read "A Lady's Dressing Room" by Johnathon Swift and then read Mary W. Montagu's response piece. I've never cackled so much. Fair warning... they're a bit difficult to read... but hey, the ending of Montagu's poem is ICONIC. Woman after my own heart. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the update!!!)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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